The twist and turns in a simple life
by Hmz0975
Summary: Isabella Uley had been a simple girl with a simple life who was a hundred percent sure of two things. First she loved her brother Sam and her mother with all she had and second she loved to hate Paul Lahote even more than that but then again what is life without a few twist and turns?
1. Prologue

Prologue-

William 'Billy' Black sighed as he looked at the woman sitting in front of him staring at the child lying down next to her in a stroller with a pensive look on her face. She had not said anything for the past twenty minutes and with every passing minute Billy's hope dwindled. He knew it was unexpected, heck he was in shock too but for the sake of this small little girl who was sleeping peacefully in her stroller ignorant of all that was going on around her, he hoped that the decision would be in her favor.

This six month old child had already faced enough traumas in her short life and for her sake he hoped that this was the end of her misfortune. First she had lost her father a month after her birth in a robbery gone wrong and now this. When was it going to end?

He sighed once again when he thought about his best friend Charlie Swan who had six months back been a happily married cop with a lovely wife and a beautiful newborn baby girl but his happiness had been taken away so abruptly from him. One phone call and everything had changed. He could still remember that exact moment when he closed his eyes. It had been a normal day as far as he remembered. In all honesty though most 'accidents' occur on days that begin normally. Charlie and Billy had grown up together playing on the beaches on the reservation and going fishing with their fathers. Their friendship was more of a generation passed down thing as even their fathers William Black Senior and Geoffrey Swan had been the best of friends and before them their fathers. It had been normal for them to be friends and so on that unfortunate day in October Charlie and his wife of a year Renee had invited Billy, his wife Sarah and their twin daughters Rachel and Rebecca over for dinner at his place. It was more of a to cheer Renee up kind of dinner than otherwise as Renee had been stressed since the past few weeks with baby Isabella crying the entire day and night and the reason being unknown despite them visiting several doctors even as far as Seattle. Charlie had ordered Chinese takeaway for dinner so that Renee could just relax and spend time with Sarah who was one of her close friends and being a new mother herself with the twins just being a bit short of two years Renee valued Sarah's experience on handling baby Isabella. They had just sat down in the living room with Renee and Sarah talking in one corner, Billy and Charlie watching a game on the TV and Rachel and Rebecca cooing to the baby who had just somehow stopped crying much to Renee and Charlie's relief when the landline phone had blared loudly. Charlie had quickly attended to the call suddenly turning to what Billy had termed his cop mode and after talking on the phone for a few minutes had ended the call and had got up from the couch to go and get his gun. Before he left to attend to his duty he had quickly explained to the others that the call had been from old Mrs. Bunsen who lived alone in her house at the edge of Forks after her husband expired and her grandson who had been living with them took off for college. Billy had heard the rumors about her being paranoid and cooking up stories that she assumed were real so when Charlie had told them of how Mrs. Bunsen was claiming that someone was trying to break in her house and attack her, his first reaction was to scoff but being a cop Charlie could just not let it go without checking it out once and so on a rainy dark night in the town of Forks Charlie had left his wife, child and friends to go and check on Mrs. Bunsen.

They had waited for close to an hour consoling an anxious Renee that Charlie would soon be back and it was probably the rain that was making his car go slower than usual but the hormonal stressed Renee had been hard to convince and so the couple had decided to wait till Charlie was back before they left to go home even though it was much later than they would have preferred to stay out with the twins being so young. Sarah had put the twins to sleep in the spare room before going to see Renee who was feeding baby Isabella in the master bedroom while Billy had waited by the door in the hope that he would see Charlie's cruiser arrive. It had been a tiresomely long hour with Sarah silently consoling an overly worked up Renee and Billy sighing every few minutes staring outside the window in worry when a knock had disturbed their silence. Billy had rushed to the door to find one of Charlie's colleagues standing by the door with a mournful look on his face and Billy had nearly buried in his own sadness and pain when he heard what the other man had said. For once Mrs. Bunsen had not cried wolf without reason and when Charlie had reached the site he had found an intruder trying to break in. It had been a case of wrong place wrong time for Charlie who had accidently ended up with a gunshot aimed at his heart killing him on spot. There had not even been the hope of taking him to the hospital in his case and within seconds Charlie's life had been taken away from him.

Billy had turned back to a shout to see Renee fainting and Sarah trying to hold her and get her back to consciousness and Billy had understood that this was not the time to mourn for his closest friend but to support his left behind family. He and Sarah had stood by Renee in this difficult time and for the next five months they had seen the depressed Renee go through life with them and Charlie's other friends supporting her as much as they could. Renee had run away from her house at the age of sixteen and she had no family that she could rely on and even Charlie's parents had passed away a few months before she entered Charlie's life and so Billy, Sarah, Harry and Sue were all Renee had and he had actually thought that maybe Renee would pull through if not for herself then for baby Isabella so this was completely shocking to Billy.

"What does this mean?" cried out the woman sitting in front of him bringing him back to the present, throwing at him the letter he had given her to read when he had come to visit her today. He sighed. He knew this was a hard pill to swallow and even he found it hard to believe but he still believed there was some truth in those words.

"How could she?" shouted the woman livid "She cheated on her husband who loved her more than anything in the world and now she… she left her daughter behind"

Billy did not know whether to laugh or cry as this was not the reaction he had expected from her. He had expected rage for her own as she was equally affected by this but she had reacted completely unexpectedly then again the woman in question was a mother who would put a defenseless child before everything else no matter who the child's parents were.

"Is she really gone?" she whispered in an unbelieving manner

Billy just nodded his head looking at the floor. Today had started too like any other normal day but soon Billy had found out that today was anything but normal. Renee as she did so these days had left the now six months old Isabella with Sarah who stayed home to look after the twins who were in their terrible twos now and Billy who worked from home using his shed for his carving business had not thought anything unusual of it as Renee was trying to find a job to sustain and without even completing high school or having a GED it was turning out to be difficult and so Sarah had temporarily offered to babysit Isabella while Renee found suitable work. The unease and worry though had begun when even at eight in the night Renee had not arrived to take Isabella home. Billy had just assumed that probably Renee had travelled to Port Angeles for work and so was running late while Sarah had put the baby to sleep after feeding her the milk Renee had left for her. After waiting for two more hours though a scared Billy had made his way towards the Swan house in Forks to look for Renee who was not picking up her phone and the sight that he had seen had shocked him to the core.

The house lay locked with all the lights shut and a letter neatly folded with his name on it was placed between the door and the lock. With shaking hands he had removed the letter out wishing that this was not what he was thinking it to be but he had been wrong again.

She had left. She had left forever leaving her child behind and the letter was more of an apology stating that she could not do this any longer. She had tried but failed and she did not want to fail Isabella any longer by being a mother no child deserves to have. Billy had wanted to shout and pull his hair out in anger at her selfishness but he had kept reading the letter the nineteen year old Renee Higginbotham Swan had written. The second part of the letter had been more of a confession as she had confessed the true paternity of her child and had stated that she had cheated on Charlie a few months into their marriage on a night when Charlie was in Seattle for work, with someone she had hardly known and had met the same night in a bar. She had said that she was extremely guilty for her mistakes and could not keep it any longer within her and to take Isabella to her real father but Billy had known the complications in that too.

"How could he Billy?" cried out the woman again "We were married. Our son, his son is three. What is going to happen now? What am I going to tell him when he asks me questions a few years from now?"

"Allison" said Billy sighing once again in despair not knowing what to say ahead. This was not how it was supposed to happen. His friend was supposed to live and have the happy family he wanted with his wife being loyal to him and so was the woman sitting in front of him. She was supposed to have a happy ending too.

He looked at Allison Uley as she sat hiding her face with her hands. The past few months had been bad on her too with her husband Joshua Uley walking out on her leaving her and their son Sam behind and now to find out that he had cheated on her and had conceived another child with an almost stranger but he knew that she deserved to know the truth. Billy could clearly see the pain on Allison's face as she took in his words. He had come here to ask her if she had any way to contact Joshua who had seemed to disappear in the face of this earth but a part of him had always known that it was useless. Joshua Uley had left La Push and their lives forever never to look back again and now with Renee giving away the child's rights it was his responsibility to give this child a suitable home.

"Look at them" said Allison softly diverting Billy's attention to the baby in the stroller and the toddler standing in front of her making funny faces at her trying to make her smile while baby Isabella just stared at him with her eyes wide open.

Allison expression suddenly changed to worry and Billy knew that she was thinking of Isabella's future. Heck he too was worried about the same thing and had spent many sleepless nights thinking the same. He was the tribal chief and this was a child of the tribe and it would be his duty to raise her on tribal grounds and even without that this was his best friend Charlie's daughter no matter what Renee said. Charlie loved Isabella more than anything and Billy owed this to him. He had spoken to Sarah about this. They would adopt Isabella if need be. He knew that money would be difficult with Sarah not working at the moment and him having three mouths to feed with a fourth on the way but he could not let his best friend's daughter, a vulnerable baby be left alone or given to parents who did not care for her. He was a father too and the image of his daughters instantly came in front of his eyes when he thought of Isabella going to people who would not keep her happy. No he would make sure that she was happy.

"What is her name?" asked Allison staring in awe at the baby who was now adorably yawning

"Isabella Swan" said Billy

Allison shook her head with a small smile on her face "She is an Uley. I can see the features"

Billy just nodded his head knowing how correct Allison was. Despite Isabella's skin tone that she had acquired from Renee her features were all Uley genes that he could see in Sam.

Allison just stared at the child for a few more minutes before looking at Billy with what could only be described as firm determination as if she had taken her decision.

"I want to adopt her" said Allison with all surety looking again at Sam showing his toys to the baby who was with sheer concentration looking at them.

"Are you sure?" asked Billy

She just nodded her head as a smile graced her face "She is an Uley, Billy, Isabella Uley and she may not be my daughter biologically but she is my son's sister and I would be honored to raise her like my own if you as the chief agree to it"

Billy just looked at her for a few minutes before smiling for the first time in days. He knew that Allison Uley was a good woman and Isabella would be well looked after in this house with her as a mother and Sam as a brother "I will draw the papers"

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you think.


	2. Beach Tales and bonfires

Thank you Taylor9901, MammaNita4, sarae32, catgrl, Arami Estigarribia, brankel1, NannaRahRah, LunaM303, Loveforgreeneyes and millymollymanda for your reviews.

A/N: The first few chapters will revolve around Bella's childhood and so fall under 'Innocence'. As she grows older the parts will change, also I know this is a spoiler but still I am going to give it away Bella is going to be a shape shifter in this story and will phase at some point of time in one of the future parts. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you.

Part I – Innocence

Chapter 1 – Beach Tales and Bonfires

'What was so special about Leah Clearwater?' Bella Uley wondered as she saw her now eight year old brother follow the seven year old Leah around first beach with a look of complete adoration on his face. Whatever she wanted he was quick to provide without her even asking for it, whether it was a bunch of pretty seashells that brought a smile on her face or a beach towel for her to lie down on, she just had to open her mouth and it would be there.

Bella took in the sight with confusion as she herself sat on the sand making sandcastles. Her brother had never behaved like this before and he was the one who had stated to her six months back that all little girls except her had cooties and so he and the other big boys never played with them. Then did Leah Clearwater not have cooties?

Bella suddenly remembered her mother and Sue Clearwater's conversation from the other day when they had been laughing together and Sue had said that Sam had a crush on Leah and Allison had laughed and said that it was sweet. 'What was sweet about a crush?' she wondered innocently. Was it the same as when Mike Newton who played with her in the park in Forks always tried hugging her only to get pushed back and said that he wanted to marry her one day? Was Sammy going to marry Leah?

"What you thinking about?" asked a soft voice as a brunette small girl with black hair and brown eyes sat next to her with a shovel in her hand as she started digging in the sand.

Bella shrugged "Big girl things. You won't understand"

The little girl pouted as she protested "I am also a big girl"

Bella shook her little head "No mommy said you become a big girl at five. You are only four yet"

The other girl just pouted as Bella went back to her sandcastle with a proud smile on her face. She was five years old now and her mommy had told her that she was a big girl now as she would start kindergarten in the tribal school. Her best friend Kim on the other hand would also be starting Kindergarten with her but her fifth birthday was still a month away and so she was not yet a big girl at least not till her birthday and so she would not be able to understand big girl problems Bella concluded.

"Is it about Sammy and Leah?" asked Kim stopping her hands midway in the process of making a sandcastle getting the other girl's attention back on her.

"Don't call him Sammy" said Bella rudely and she was sure that if her mother had heard her talk to someone in that tone she would have been severely scolded "Only I can call him that"

Kim looked taken aback for a second before she decided to ignore the situation in front of her and went back to making her perfect sandcastle and Bella looked apologetic for a minute before she decided that it did not matter. Kim was her best friend and she understood that only she could call him Sammy just like Kim had a special pet name for her newborn baby brother Max that Bella was not allowed to use.

The girls worked in perfect unison for a while before a cry broke the silence they were immersed in. Bella looked up to see a crying red nosed Embry walking towards where they both were sitting on the sand a little away from the where the adults were grouped on this rare sunny summer day in La Push. There was a lot of crowd on the beach today as everyone wanted to soak into the rare sun that had made itself known and Bella once again looked at her mother who was sitting a bit away talking to Sarah Black but had kept an eye on her children.

"Emb" said Bella opening her arms for her little brother to come closer to her before wiping the tears of his face and looking at him with a worried expression on her face. Just like Sammy was her older brother Embry was her younger one and her mother had explained to them both this that though Embry had a different mother their father was the same and so being an older sister it was her duty to look after Embry.

"Bellsy" said the three year old Embry with a slight lisp as Bella ran a hand through his long silky hair in a gesture to calm him "Paul mean" he said pointing towards three boys that were playing Monkey in the middle with a ball a bit far away from where Bella and Kim were. "Mean" repeated Embry sucking on his thumb and on keen observation Bella realized that the boys throwing the ball to one another were Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron and the small boy trying to catch the ball was Jacob Black but due to his small size he was unable to catch the ball and was almost on the verge of crying though he refused to give in. The third friend of their trio Quil Ateara was chasing a hermit crab across the sand with no bother of what was happening around.

Anger flared in Bella's veins and she suddenly got up from the sand and walked towards the two boys who were taking advantage of their age and were laughing at Jacob who could not catch the ball while Kim took Embry's hand in hers and followed Bella no wonder to see the argument that was about to happen. Paul Lahote was known for his anger and fights but then again even Bella Uley was not one to back down.

"You are a meanie" shouted Bella approaching Paul and stomping her feet to give the effect

Paul just looked at her with a wave of indifference before going back to his game.

"I am talking to you" said Bella angrily. She had heard all about Paul Lahote the new kid in La Push who was the definition of trouble. He and his father had recently moved here from Tacoma as his father had accepted the post of the new tribal police chief and Paul had been nothing but trouble ever since he had arrived as she had heard Billy Black say this to Harry Clearwater a few days back when she was over at Billy's house playing with Rachel and Rebecca.

"Oh look it is Isabella Uley the savior of one and all" said Paul with a smirk that went naturally well with his face almost like it belonged there.

Jared laughed loudly and Bella gave him a glare that quickly shut him up. Paul and Jared were a year senior than Bella in school and Bella knew that Paul was the main culprit with Jared just following him around.

"It is Bella" she said correcting him a bit firmly. She did not know how the name Bella had stuck onto her but right from the beginning everyone she knew had called her Bella and now when someone called her Isabella it just felt weird.

"Like I care" said Paul ignoring her presence and going back to throwing the ball to Jared while Jacob still tried to get the ball from them.

Bella stared at him with her mouth open in shock before she shut it and tapped him harshly on the shoulder "You should care, it is rude not to and now give Jacob the ball. He is a baby"

"I am not a baby" said Jacob protesting and stomping his feet "I am grownup. Everyone treats me like a baby" he muttered under his breath

Paul just looked at Bella with a teasing smile "See you heard him. He wants to play with the big boys"

Bella just stared at him like she could not believe what he was saying "I will tell your daddy"

Paul just gave out a laugh before shrugging "okay"

Bella could not believe her ears. Didn't 'I will tell your mommy/daddy' always work? Before she could say another thing though, a voice was heard "Hey what is happening here?"

Bella turned back to see Harry Clearwater approaching with a year old Seth in his arms smiling at them like the over joyous kid he was.

"Is everything okay?" asked Harry looking at all the children around him. Bella was about to tell him that Paul and Jared were not playing fairly when Paul interrupted her.

"Everything is okay Mr. Clearwater" said Paul as innocently as he could muster and Bella rolled her eyes at his fake innocence.

Harry looked doubtful but nodded his head "Bella, Kim your mothers are looking for you"

Bella gave one last look to Paul which was a clear 'This is not over look' before following Harry back with Kim, Embry and a reluctant Jacob who still wanted to play with Paul and Jared but had been pulled along by Bella. Bella's eyes sought out Rachel and Becca who were in the sea splashing water and playing Marco Polo with their friends and she knew that if they would have come to know of Paul not letting their little brother play both of them would have backed her here. They both were if said in one word extremely overprotective of Jacob.

The four of them made their way back to where Allison Uley sat with Sarah Black, Sue Clearwater and Kara Connweller and feasted on the sandwiches and hotdogs the grownups gave them to eat. Embry who was the youngest out of the lot sat in Allison's lap as she fed him the sandwich whispering softly to him. Bella knew that Embry missed his mother Tiffany Call a lot but most of the days the person in question was travelling to Port Angeles for work and in her absence Allison had taken over in looking after Embry and babysitting him on most days and the few nights when Tiffany had to stay back in Port Angeles for work or had a date Embry stayed over at the Uley house and both Sam and Bella had come to love him and care for him.

After they were done eating all the kids who were on the beach right now were called by Billy, Harry and Quil Ateara the IV as a game of Steal the bacon was organized. The rules were simple, they were all divided in two teams and each person was given a number. Then both teams went and stood on opposite sides and Harry kept a shoe in the middle, when a number would be called the person who was given that number would rush to pick up the shoe and get it to their side before the other caught them. Whoever succeeded in getting the shoe to their side would win.

Bella looked at Kim who was in her team and smiled. They were so going to win this. One by one a number was called and the person who had got that number ran in the middle to grab the shoe before the other could. Bella cheered and jumped at her spot as she saw the majority points being won by her team.

After a few calls the next number called out was 5 and Kim rushed in to the middle while Jared came from the other team. They circled the shoe and one another for a few minutes before Kim grabbed the shoe and ran back with Jared just standing and letting her run back making Bella's team win the round. Bella saw that Paul scowled at Jared when he went back but Jared just shrugged and gave Kim a smile.

A few more numbers were called with Paul's team winning a few points and finally the tie breaker number was called. Whoever won this round their team would win the game.

The number was seven and Bella realized that this was her number and entered the circle but the person who entered from the opposite side made her seethe in anger. Of course with her luck it was Paul Lahote who gave her a smirk before pointing towards the shoe with an 'I dare you to pick it up' look in his gaze.

Bella huffed before walking towards the shoe while Paul did the same. They circled the shoe a few times and mock attempted to pick up the shoe all the while seeing in one another's eyes when suddenly Paul winked at Bella making her lose her concentration and quickly took the shoe from underneath her and ran back to his side.

Paul's team cheered loudly at the realization that they had won the game while Bella stomped her foot in anger. He was a cheater. He had cheated.

She walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder to get his attention "You are a cheater"

He just gave her a huge grin "Winners focus on winning and losers focus on the winner" and with this he walked away while Bella stared at him in annoyance. Though she had just met him she was sure of one thing he annoyed her to another level and there was something about him that just got to her nerves. She decided to just stay away from him from now on.

Soon everyone was told to gather around the fire that was lit as Billy was going to start reciting the tribal legends. Bella sat in excitement next to Sam who just laughed at her excitement but Bella ignored him. Being older he had heard the stories before but this was her first time. She sat next to Allison who had Embry sleeping in her lap while Sam sat next to her with Leah Clearwater on the other side. Bella could still not understand Sam's fascination with being wherever Leah was and she remembered that it had all started after Harry had taken Leah and Sam to Port Angeles for a horse riding class but she was content with the happiness that radiated from Sam whenever Leah was around.

Billy took a deep breath before starting and Bella could hear pin drop silence around her "The Quileute's have been a small people from the beginning and we are a small people still, but we have never disappeared. This is because there has always been magic in our blood. It wasn't always the magic of shape-shifting — that came later. First, we were spirit warriors."

Bella listened in fascination as Billy told everyone who was gathered, children, adults and the tribal elders the stories of Taha Aki who was the Great wolf, the third wife who was his imprint and the magic that has remained with the Quileute tribe since centuries. It was almost like a fairytale and the curious Bella who loved stories was captivated by them.

She saw a few others around her fall asleep as the hour passed but she kept listening wide awake and soon Billy had finished with the legends. He looked at Bella and gave her a smile as if to appreciate her and she smiled back wide.

Soon everyone started leaving to go home and even Bella got up from her seat.

"Hey Isabella" said a voice and Bella turned automatically wishing that she had ignored the voice and just kept walking.

"Yes Paul" she said with as much sweetness she could muster sighing at the fact that he had called her Isabella instead of Bella. Why was he awake yet? Why had he thought that it would be a great idea to talk to her?

"Do you think these legends are real and men can actually turn into wolves?"

She thought about it for a few minutes "I don't know, why?"

"Imagine it being real and I turning into a wolf and you being my imprint" he said his eyes widening with every word and the smirk on his face becoming bigger.

She shuddered and looked at him as if this would be the worst thing that could happen to mankind "In that case I hope and pray that these are just stories"

Paul just laughed loudly before walking towards where his father stood while Bella stood frozen at the same spot for a few minutes before Sam came to take her back home with him.

She shook her head deciding that these were just stories and there was nothing real about them and so she had nothing to worry and made her way home, both her and Paul forgetting a very important thing. You should speak cautiously because sometimes unknowingly you end up jinxing yourself.


	3. A day in the Zoo

Thank you LunaM303, Beuty6, Anchalee, MammaNita4, catgrl, .7334, brankel1 and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

Part I – Innocence

Chapter 2- A day in the Zoo

"Why is he coming with us?" whispered Bella low enough not to be heard by anyone other than the person the question was aimed towards before she subtly pointed towards the 'he' in question.

Kim who was sitting next to her in the backseat of the minivan shrugged "I heard that the adults want him to become friends with the others and his father is working all the time so…" she trailed off

"Jared is his friend" said Bella in a stating manner while Kim just gave her a 'don't be mean look'.

Bella sighed. She was not generally this mean a person and was very friendly towards everyone else but something about Paul Lahote just rubbed her the wrong way. He was mean and pretended to be over smart and she just did not like such people but her mother had told her this a few days back that you don't judge a book by its cover and so she should not judge Paul Lahote without getting to know him first.

"He is not that bad, Bells" said Kim whispering back "Jared says he is real nice"

Bella frowned at the smitten expression on Kim's face before rolling her eyes. Ever since that day at the beach when Jared had let Kim win in the game of steal the bacon eight months back Kim had been defending Jared on every occasion and whenever he was around she would become a blabbering mess.

"Your opinion does not matter" said Bella firmly "You are partial towards Jared"

Kim pouted once "Fine then at least give him a chance to change your opinion. Maybe you can try to be friends"

Bella thought back to her mother's words 'Don't judge a book by its cover' before nodding her head slightly.

"Fine" she whispered again forcing herself to say the next few words out "I will try to be his friend"

Kim gave her a satisfied smile before deciding that the conversation was over and looking back ahead again and Bella looked outside the window at the passing scenery. It had been eight months since she had started Kindergarten and she was having a great time learning how to identify letters and the sounds linked with them. They had also started counting to hundred by ones and tens and were being taught about the weather, seasons and their bodies amongst other things and Bella was very proud of the stars she received for her good behavior and curious nature.

The foundation to come to the zoo today though had been set three weeks back when Bella had heard the story of the wolf in sheep's clothing and had come home and begged her mother to take her to the zoo to see real wolves. Allison had been hesitant at first to drive all the way to Seattle alone with three children but when Embry, Bella and Sam all three had teamed up against her with Embry repeating the word lion again and again, Bella wanting to see wolves and Sam wanting to see snow leopards and Penguins she had had no choice but to agree. An excited Bella had gone the next day to school and had told Kim about her going to the zoo in Seattle on the weekend when Kim had cried and said she wanted to come too and a smiling Bella had told her best friend that of course she could come with them. The next person to be invited though had been Leah who Sam had invited as there was no way he was going to see animals without her and all the way to Seattle that to and with Leah came Seth who wanted to see a monkey as he had seen a cartoon in which there had been a monkey. The next two to join were Jacob and Quil who were always around when Embry was near and so their total had become eight after which the twins Rachel and Rebecca had joined stating that they were a package deal with Jacob and Jared had self invited himself to their trip to the zoo. Finally her mother had said that there was no way she was taking so many children with her to the zoo when she was the only adult around but when Bella had pouted with a small face, she had sighed and said that she would talk to the other children's parents and so here they were three weeks later with Allison, Harry, Sue and Billy accompanying them though the fact that Paul too was coming with them Bella had found out twenty minutes back when they had sat in the vehicles that were supposed to take them to Seattle, much to her shock and irritation. It was not like they were enemies or so. She had hardly spoken to him in these past eight months but whenever they had had a talk it had ended with shouting or him giving her a smirk and walking away leaving her red in anger and so the decision to be friends with him would surely not be an easy one.

While Bella, Kim, Quil, Embry, Paul, Jared, Billy and Allison were in the Black's minivan, Harry, Sue, Leah, Sam, Seth, Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca were in the other minivan and who had decided who would sit where Bella had no idea of this but she was not happy with this and this thought was confirmed when Paul gave her a cheeky grin before offering her the pack of cheetos he was eating from, from which Bella took one , only to say thank you when her mother gave her a look that said that she had forgotten to say 'thank you'.

Though the distance from La Push to Seattle was only four hours long it seemed much longer with the constant bathroom breaks they had to take or the fact that they were going much slower than normal and Bella concentrated outside the window as the scenery kept changing as they got closer to their destination. While Kim was munching on Doritos hiding it from everyone else as she refused to share it with anyone, Embry was sleeping like always and Quil was coloring on a paper with no idea of what was happening around him. Bella remembered her mother's words as she saw Embry sleeping peacefully. Her mother had called him a quiet baby as he rarely ever cried. Either he was sleeping or sitting silently so when he cried instantly everyone took notice of it.

Paul and Jared on the other hand were playing rock paper scissors and Bella wanted to ask him if he was cheating again but stopped reminding herself that she had decided to try to be his friend and friends are not mean to one another. The two adults in the car were the only two who were trying to listen to the music playing in the car over the loud noise and every few minutes one of them would remind the bunch of children sitting behind to talk in their indoor voice.

They soon reached Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and once Billy and Harry made sure that all the kids were here they were taken to the entrance of the zoo which was overflowing with families as it was a Sunday and were made to stand in the extra long line. Everywhere Bella saw there was laughter and jumping in excitement children and like magnets attracted to the other soon even she and the others were bouncing in excitement waiting for the number to arrive. Soon they reached the end of the queue and entered the zoo all the while deciding which exhibit they would visit first.

"So what do you want to see first?" asked Harry with a map in his hand as they stood at the starting point.

"Snow Leopards"

"Wolf"

"Monkeys"

"Giraffes"

"Tigers"

"Penguins"

"Ostrich"

Came several shouts instantly and Harry put his hand up to tell them to stop shouting.

"One by One, we cannot decide if you shout" said Sue glaring at Harry once

"Snow Leopard first" said Sam

"No Tiger" said Jared standing up to Sam who was taller than him

"No we should see guinea pigs first" said Kim

"No we will see the Brown Bear first" said Leah

And suddenly everyone was talking amongst themselves again trying to make their choice the final one.

"Silence" said Billy in a tired voice "why don't we start from the youngest?" he suggested and though most of them wanted to protest they said nothing.

"Seth?" asked Billy "Which animal do you want to see first?"

"Monkey" said Seth shouting and jumping at his spot in excitement making their decision for them.

They all walked towards the enclosure of the Colubus monkeys who kept jumping from one tree to another as if they were playing with one another and made loud screeching noise staring at the children facing them. Bella looked in awe at their appearance which was completely black with white fur like only on their face around their eyes and mouth and laughed loudly looking at Paul and Jared who were making funny faces at the monkey which seemed to increase the noises while the adults snapped several pictures of them all. They were given brief information of what they eat, where they are found, how they live etc and were told that Colobus monkeys are more popular in South America and Africa.

The next exhibit they visited was of Jaguars who like a predator slowly walked towards them and Bella took a step back in fear only to be told by Sam that there was a huge unbreakable glass in between and so the Jaguar would not be able to come near her. She looked at the huge animal with green eyes in awe as it clawed at the glass in front of her.

After seeing monkeys and Jaguars they reached the exhibit that held the huge Gorillas who were sitting in one corner under the tree that was inside their enclosure feeding on bananas. Allison pointed towards a baby gorilla walking towards the glass and Bella excitedly called it ahead as she tried to hug it through the glass all the while her mother clicked photos.

The next exhibit was of the lion that was termed as the king of the jungle and Bella could see why. Power radiated from him even when he was only sitting around in his enclosure doing nothing other than looking at everything and everyone and she listened with interest as the children were told why the lion was regarded as the king of the jungle because he feared no other animal and Embry who loved watching the lion king watched the African lion with his eyes widened.

The next enclosure they saw was of the tallest animal to exist, the giraffes and all of them had to strain their neck to even see half of the giraffe as it was so tall. Their necks were exceptionally tall and Bella stood watching them with a smile on her face as she saw the mother giraffe caress the baby giraffe showing to her that even animals loved their little ones just like humans did.

After seeing the Hippopotamus that was sitting in the water and the Zebra that had black and white magnificent lines all throughout they walked towards Bella's favorite exhibit the wolves. The gray wolf was bigger and prettier than Bella had thought it would be and had very intelligent eyes. Ever since she had heard the legends of the tribe eight months back she had wanted to see these amazing creatures and she stood by the glass completely mesmerized by their looks and antics.

Next they saw the porcupines that were small but had needle like spikes and looked prickly before seeing the brown bear which looked dangerous with his strength and height but Bella smiled as she remembered the story of the Goldilocks and the three bears. They then saw the snowy owl that was white in color and extremely beautiful before seeing the Elk whose horns known as Antlers were huge and pointy.

They then saw Meerkats who Bella found to be very cute and small before seeing the Guinea pigs who instantly received an 'aw' from every girl present. They just looked so cuddly, soft and innocent.

"Auntie Allison" asked Kim in a soft voice pulling onto the hem of Allison's shirt.

Allison nodded her head telling her to speak ahead.

"Can I take a guinea pig home with me?" she asked with all seriousness and Bella thought about it for a minute. Even she wanted a guinea pig to take home with her.

"Yeah even I want one" she said leaving no doubt in her voice

"Me too" said Leah looking at Harry followed by the twins who said in unison to Billy that they too wanted guinea pigs to take home with them while the adults just looked confused at the situation.

"Kim honey" said Allison kneeling down to her height "You cannot take the animals that live in the zoo. Guinea pigs are wonderful pets but you need to ask your mommy and daddy for that and if they agree there are pet stores and no Bella we are not getting a guinea pig as a pet"

"But mommy" Bella protested stomping her feet

"Yes neither are you Leah" said Sue and Billy repeated the same to Rachel and Rebecca who pouted.

"No arguments Bella" said Allison in a firm tone

"Yeah" said Sam agreeing "No guinea pigs. We should adopt a snake or a cheetah"

Allison's eyes widened as she looked at Sam in shock who was absolutely serious.

Bella thought about it for a minute "Fine but I get to choose the cheetah"

Sam nodded his head while Embry made a roar like sound giving his agreement in this idea.

"Oh good Lord" exclaimed Allison "What is wrong with my children! No we are not getting snakes or cheetahs or any animal that cannot be domesticated as pets"

"But mom" said Sam protesting

"No Samuel Uley" said Allison "We will talk about this later on why you cannot keep a cheetah or snake or lion as a pet. If you three want we can get a dog or cat home but nothing other than that"

Bella and Sam said gave her a whooping grin while Embry made barking sounds and before any other child could say anything else Billy asked them if anyone wanted ice cream and immediately the topic changed to ice cream. With ice cream cones in their hands all of them went around the zoo once more seeing the rare birds like hornbill, the Chilean flamingoes, the Raven and the laughing Kookaburra. The best part of the day for Bella though was when she was allowed to let a hawk sit on her arm as she squealed in joy while her mother and the zoo keeper stood right next to her and Billy clicked the photo.

After they filled their quota of seeing the animals and birds they all walked towards the souvenir shop to purchase for mementos to remember today. While Bella bought a plush wolf toy that was instantly named Alaska due to its white coat, some bought toys, and some bought key chains, animal photo frames and mugs. Bella also picked up a few educational books to read about wolves when she grew a little older.

"Now where are we going?" asked Sam looking at Harry

"It is a surprise" said Harry before leading all of them towards another building and as soon as the building came into sight Paul pointed that he could see a small gate and all the children ran towards the child-sized doors fitted with chunky bronze handles that looked liked logs.

"Wow what is this" said Jared peeking inside from the glass door

"This is the Zoomazium. It is a play area" said Sue as Bella looked inside the building. There were slides, puzzles, climbing adventures and a huge tree house that she instantly wanted to climb.

Without wasting any more time they ran inside with Embry, Jacob, Quil and Seth going towards the toddler section where there were huge soft eggs placed from where they could 'hatch out' while the parents clicked photos while Leah wiggled her way through a narrow passageway hidden beneath a mountain and could see her reflection displayed alongside that of a savannah creature. Bella, Paul, Jared and Kim ran towards the slide which was hidden inside a replica of an enormous tropical tree with Paul letting Bella go first with a smile which confused Bella even more on his absurd behavior since morning.

Rachel, Rebecca and Sam sat around in a circle while three touch screen monitors were placed in front of them where they could see information about habitats, animals and could solve puzzles with Rachel even winning a prize for solving the puzzle.

They were then showed drawers and bins of insects, plants, minerals and fossils that they could touch and feel and if they discovered the insect or plant correctly they would get a prize such as a shell in return which made them win several shells by guessing correctly.

They were exhausted by the time they were finished but they had one last destination to go to before they left to go home, the historic carousel that was one of the main sights of the park. While Bella, Paul, Jared, Kim, Sam, Leah, Rachel and Rebecca sat on individual horses, Embry sat in Allison's lap, Seth in Sue's lap with Jacob in Billy's lap and Quil in Harry's lap.

Bella laughed in joy as the carousel moved and she could see a few animals at a distance which increased her excitement.

"Hey Isabella" said a voice and she turned towards the person sitting on the carousel horse beside her

"Yes Paul" she said rolling her eyes slightly at the fact that he still refused to call her Bella

"Why do you hate me?" he asked with a curious expression on his face

Bella opened her mouth to give him a long list of things she could say before she stopped and thought. Did she hate him? No hate was too strong a word. She did not like some things about him but nothing more than that.

"I don't hate you" she said honestly

"Then are you afraid of me?" he asked

Bella gave him a bold confident look though she was a bit confused at his question "Of course not. I am a brave girl"

Paul was quiet for a few minutes as if thinking "Then why do you refuse to be my friend?"

Bella was shocked by his question. He was the one who was rude and mean.

"Daddy says I need more friends and less enemies or he will take me back to Tacoma. I don't want to go back" Paul whispered in a voice so low as if it not meant for anyone else's ears.

"Friends?" said Bella after a few minutes letting go of everything that had happened in the past, putting her hand out giving him an olive branch. He shook her hand repeating the word 'friends' as she smiled. It was the beginning of a new chapter for the both of them.


	4. From old friends to new ones

Thank you Arami Estigarribia,LunaM303, MammaNita4, sc00by70, .7334, catgrl, Taylor9901, jsmith84 for your reviews.

Part I- Innocence

Chapter 3 – From old friends to new ones

It seemed like the tides had changed in the still, never changing small reservation named La Push located at the mouth of the Quillayute River in Clallam County in the State of Washington with the unexpected friendship of one Paul Lahote with Isabella Uley. A friendship so unexpected that no one had thought it was possible with their, on face value contrasting yet somewhere down the line similar personalities but nonetheless everyone who cared was glad of this new found reality, all except one.

Sam Uley just did not like the younger boy. He did not know what it was, whether it was said boy's arrogance or his mischief or his 'I don't give a damn demeanor' but all Sam knew was that he did not trust his younger sister around that boy. Paul Lahote had the reputation of a Neanderthal in the elementary school in La Push and was often reprimanded for playing pranks on his classmates or for being unkempt and Sam often wondered how a tribal police chief's son could be someone like Paul and so he was the one person who seethed every time Paul was around his sister, in front of his eyes.

And it was not like he had not tried stopping this bizarre friendship from continuing but all his efforts till date had gone in vain. Just the other day when Paul had been taken to the Principal for putting chewing gum in a female classmate's hair, Sam had gone home and argued with Allison on how Paul was going to be a bad influence on Bella but Allison had just told him that he was nobody to judge another, Bella was smart enough to take decisions for herself and whatever punishment Paul deserved the principal and Paul's father would decide on it so it was none of Sam's concern. Sam had frowned and ran up to his room while his mother muttered something about getting into the rebellious stage too soon.

Sam was angry but he knew this was not his first attempt and neither would it be his last. He would keep his innocent, easily forgiving, smiling sister away from the bad news that was Paul Lahote. Every other day Paul would be taken to the principal's office either for throwing water on another classmate or for pulling on another girl's pigtails making her cry and with every passing day Sam was even more sure that Paul Lahote was just bad news, bad news which had to be kept away from his sister, his family.

But he couldn't refuse the fact that somewhere Paul's friendship was even good for Bella as Allison had told him time and again when he complained to her. For starters he had done the unthinkable, that no one of them had been able to achieve. He had forced Bella to learn how to ride a bike which had been an impossible feat for the rest of them as every time he tried to teach her or Allison did or even Billy did, his strong sister that rarely ever cried would burst into tears. No one understood exactly why but all they knew was Bella was afraid of riding the bike no matter the fact that training wheels were added to it. She hated riding the bike and nobody could convince her otherwise and all had tried and given up, all except one. Paul had taunted her, fought with her and challenged her and in the end succeeded when Bella had agreed to race with him on a bike.

For once she had willingly though hesitantly sat on the bike their mother had bought for her and had let Sam teach her how to ride and even if it was only to give it back to Paul in his challenge, she had learnt how to ride much to Sam's pride though in all honestly Sam had almost hurt Paul when Bella had returned home from their race with scraped knees and marks on her hands but Paul had just shrugged and said that Bella had fallen down while trying to get off the bike after winning their race. Sam had looked at him with suspicion in his eyes due to the fact that he knew that Paul was good at riding the bike while Bella was just a novice but he had forgotten everything when he saw how happy Bella was at that moment and even Paul's smirk had not bothered him much though it had bothered him later when Paul and Bella had started riding around La Push, touring the roads together on their bikes, laughing along like they were the best of friends and Sam had then decided that he just did not like it.

Another incident came to the forefront of his mind as he sat in his room doodling on a piece of paper. It had been a few weeks back when he had been pushing Leah on the swing in the school playground as she playfully giggled and simultaneously keeping an eye on Bella who was playing with Kim in the sand nearby when out of nowhere the school bully Lance had passed by pushing Bella harshly on his way, making her fall roughly on the sand. Sam had been infuriated to see the smug look on Lance's face as Bella wiped the sand off her hands and partially clothes, trying not to cry. He had almost moved his foot to go and confront Lance, a boy who was in his class when Paul had stepped in front of Bella to protect her, not like she needed the protection in the first place. Sam knew that Bella was strong and could look after herself but he blamed his protectiveness on the brotherly instinct and as Paul had wiped the smug look off Lance's face with the strength of his fist for once even Sam had felt like clapping for him and he had even felt slightly bad when Paul had been taken to the principal's office for hitting another student while they waited for his father to arrive but still it hadn't changed the fact that Sam should have been the one to confront Lance for hitting his sister, a girl who was three years younger than him, instead of it being someone Bella had only known for a few weeks at most.

Leah had called it jealously much to Sam's denial. She had said that Sam was afraid that Paul was taking his place in Bella's life, the place of a best friend rather than elder brother. Ever since the time Sam could remember he and Bella had been close despite of the age difference. She told him every secret of hers while he shared the same equation with her. Yes in girlfriends Kim was her best friend but some secrets of hers only Sam knew and he had proudly kept it close to his heart till now. So was Leah correct? Was he afraid of not being the first person she ran up to when she wanted to share something or ask a question with a curious expression on her innocent face? Was he jealous of not being her Number 1 in life anymore?

A part of him instantly felt terrible when he put it like that. He wanted to be Bella's Number 1, the first person she went to for anything and everything but he had not offered her the same courtesy in these past few days as he had unconsciously put Leah on the number 1 pedestal and had even abandoned Bella when she had wanted to talk to him about something because Leah was waiting for him at her house to see a movie. So what right did he have to complain if Bella had found a new confidant to replace her brother who had promised to be there for her always?

Sam had no memories of his father. For all he had known he had no father, just a mother who loved him and cared for him and as a child himself when he was trying to teach Bella to say 'Sam' he had decided to be the elder brother, the father figure neither he had had nor Bella would have. He would make sure that no harm came to her and after his mother had told him of Embry being his brother too he had given Embry the same courtesy. Just like Bella, Embry was his family too and he was the man of their family, the elder one, responsible for looking after the others and even though he knew that his mother was capable enough of running the house on her own, he wanted to be the person his family relied on, his siblings went to when they had a problem or when they wanted advice in life.

No he would become the good elder brother that he had been earlier once again and even though his mother insisted that Bella was smart enough to decide who was her friend and who was not, being her elder brother it was his duty to keep her away from harm and Paul Lahote would hurt her one day. She was innocent and sweet and Paul was just the opposite. Sam knew that it was not his place to meddle but shouldn't he stop his younger sister from making a mistake? Wouldn't their father have done the same if he had been here? Everyone in town knew of Paul's reputation and some even called him a delinquent in the making only to be scolded by the adults so shouldn't he keep his family away from someone like him?

Sam's mind drifted back to just a few hours before when Billy had come over to take Embry fishing with him. He had been teaching Jacob how to fish and even Quil the fourth was taking his son Quil the fifth along to indulge in the elder's favorite hobby. Paul, who had been building a tower of Lego in their living room while Bella read the book on wolves again, had listened onto the conversation and had said that he wanted to go fishing too and Billy had complied asking if Bella and Sam wanted to come along with them. Sam who had to complete his homework before he could go outside and play had refused and he had thought Bella would refuse too. She had never been much of an outdoor person and she did not even like camping or hiking but for once she had surprised him with her answer which was yes. Sam had looked in shock while Allison had just smiled and taken Bella to get her ready for the outing and a few hours later as Sam tried putting his attention back in the homework placed in front of him he came to the conclusion that he just did not like Paul Lahote.

X-X-X-X-X

'This is so boring' thought Bella as she sat dangling her feet in air looking at the others around her fish. She just could not understand how anyone could find this interesting. It was just so boring and monotonous. She had tried to fish in the beginning but had given up when she had caught nothing even after five attempts and since then she was lounging here at the pier waiting for the others to get done with who by the looks of it seemed to be enjoying.

"What are you doing here?" asked Paul as he sat next to her keeping the rod he had been using to fish beside him.

"I am bored" she said scrunching her face a bit

"Want to get out of here?" he asked keeping his volume low so that no one else could hear him

She nodded her head though looking a bit apprehensive "Won't we get in trouble?"

If there was something Bella hated, it was getting in trouble with the adults. She hated it when her mother or even Sam scolded her on the rare occasions he did and so she was a rule breaker by no angle and the adults had told them to stay here and not wander around alone. It can be dangerous they had said and so they should not go alone without an older person with them.

He shrugged "I know the area well and we will come back before they realize"

Bella thought about it for a few minutes before nodding her head hesitantly "Are you sure?"

He gave her his trademark smirk "Trust me"

Bella nodded her head slowly. If someone would have told her six months back that she would be trusting Paul Lahote she would have refused to believe them but things had changed in these past months and she and Paul were friends now. Well almost as good friends as she and Kim or Jared and Paul. Of course they still fought when Bella thought Paul was being mean with someone or Paul decided to tease Bella without reason but they had come to an understanding. They were better off as friends than enemies and so somewhere down the line she had come to trust him.

Paul gave her a genuine smile as the seven year old led the six year old out of there keeping an eye on Billy who was busy with Embry on his one side and Jacob on the other and Quil the fourth who had the younger Quil in his lap.

They slowly trotted past the area only increasing their speed once they were completely out of there.

"So where are we going?" she asked

"Follow me" he said as he started leading her through a pathway carved in rocks a bit away from where they had been. Bella matched up to his speed tired and nearly breathless from all the exhaustion of walking so fast.

"How much more?" she asked finally standing on one of the step with a hand on her hip and a pout on her lips. For a while now they had been going down a bunch of steps and Bella could swear that she had walked down more than a hundred steps.

"Just a few more steps" said Paul chuckling as he kept walking.

Bella was in half a mind of telling him that she was turning back when he suddenly stopped and pointed towards something on the other side. With keen attention Bella turned in the direction and her mouth dropped open at the sight she saw.

"Tide pools?" she asked unbelievingly as Paul nodded his head

"I found it by accident a few weeks back" he said as forgetting all her tiredness and irritation Bella ran to the pools laughing with Paul following her.

With a huge smile on her face Bella looked into the tide pools gushing over the marine life that was inside these pools. She kneeled down on her knees looking and trying to touch and feel the fishes with fascination in her eyes. Paul sat next to her on the ground as they tried recognizing and spotting the various kinds of small, exotic, beautiful sea creatures in there. They could see hundreds of star fish in every color with maroon and orange being the most common. There were crabs and hermit crabs, green and bright pink sea anemones, mussels and periwinkles and Bella carefully put her hand in the cold water trying to get a feel of it with the smile on her face not lessening even a bit.

Living in La Push for as long as she had it would have been nearly impossible to never have seen a tide pool before in her life as the tide pools were one of the main sights to visit on a day of low tide in La Push and so Sam had taken her to see the tide pool on first beach many times before but she had never come across this particular tide pool that Paul had found.

"I love it" said Bella cheerfully as Paul laughed

"We should get back before Mr. Black and Mr. Ateara realize that we went exploring on our own" said Paul

Bella's eyes widened with fear at his words and she quickly followed him back to the pier managing to avoid falling down on the slippery rocks on the way back. It would not do if she ended up with an injury as there would be too many questions to which they would have no answer and luckily they made it back in one piece.

Billy just raised an eyebrow at their appearance, making sure that they were not injured before telling them that it was time to go back and Bella walked back to the car with the others smiling on the good day she had just had.

X-X-X-X-X

"Where were you?" asked a grim voice as Paul slowly walked into the house trying to be as silent as he could. Paul winced as he heard the voice knowing that he had been too late.

"I asked you something" repeated the same voice, this time more forceful and angry

Paul turned back slowly avoiding looking into the eyes of the man sitting on the well worn couch in front of him with a glass filled with a liquid Paul didn't quite recognize in his right hand. It could be wine, rum, vodka or whiskey Paul did not know but he very well knew the after affects that came after his father had drowned down that liquid and he shuddered as he saw his father empty glass after glass. It was going to be a terrible day for Paul ahead.

"Answer me dammit" repeated his father harshly as Paul shivered

"Fi…Fishing" he nervously stuttered

"Silly boy can't even speak properly" muttered his father Gavin Lahote under his breath before taking Paul's words in and giving him a glare "Did you say fishing?"

Paul hesitantly nodded his head wanting to run to his room but his feet refused to move.

"Who did you go fishing with?" asked Gavin Lahote with a sternness Paul had never seen before

He did not want to answer but he knew that not answering would only aggravate his father more and worsen the situation for him.

"Bi…Billy Black" he managed to speak out

His father stared at him for a few minutes before Paul heard the noise of glass breaking and he watched in horror as the pieces of glass lied below where his father was sitting with an anger filled look on his face. His father just did not care about anything when he was angry as the anger clouded his mind taking away every rational thought away from him and he had not even stopped to think that this was the last glass that they owned. All others had already been broken by him.

"I work day and night for you, to give you the clothes you wear, the toys you play with and you go around acting as if you don't have a parent" said Gavin Lahote harshly "If you wanted to go fishing I would have taken you but you brainless kid, don't even have the manners to take my permission"

Paul stayed quiet looking at the floor knowing better than to anger his father more. He wanted to tell his father that those materialistic things meant nothing for him. He wanted attention. He wanted someone to hug him and tell him that they loved him, the love, the care, the attention that he had never been given before. His mother had expired when he was a year old in an accident and his father had been this shell of a person since then. For the outside world they were a family but only he knew the truth. His father was the tribal police chief, a respected officer but at home this officer became a monster, a strict monster that only saw his son as someone he could control and Paul knew very well what the answer would be if he had asked his father to go fishing with him. The answer would have been 'I don't have time for your stupid childish wishes. Go away from here' and so Paul knew better than to ask and listen to the same rude words again and again. He had tried to question his father in the beginning on why he could and could not do certain things but the only answer he got was 'Because I told you so' and so Paul had stopped asking.

"Go to your room" spat his father out "And don't come down till I tell you to"

Paul nodded his head glad that he could lie down in the safety of his room while his father drank and attended to strange women downstairs. He was used to it by now. In Tacoma it was worse but here at least they had more alert neighbors with the reservation being so small and with his father having such an important job he was out of the house more than half of the time which was good in Paul's eyes.

He thought about Bella as he played with his toy car. She had unexpectedly become a good friend to him. Paul treated everyone like crap as a rule because he was afraid of getting close to anyone. He had made the mistake of getting attached to his babysitter back in Tacoma and when his father had known of this, he had lost someone he trusted and his babysitter had lost her job and so he made it a point to not get attached. Fighting was easier, people stayed away from you if you fought with them.

Jared was an exception that had made its way in this small little town and that was only because Jared was pushy and would just not give up on Paul and so Paul let him be and Bella was now turning out to be the second exception.

She was so nice and good and Paul often felt bad for being mean to her when they first met but he had known that it was necessary and only when his father had threatened him to take him back to Tacoma, to the lonely life he had there, had he decided to become friends with Bella and try to be nice to at least someone and he was glad that they were friends now. She made his life easier and made him smile more and here in La Push he was happier than he had ever been before.

And with that thought in mind he ignored every noise that was coming from downstairs as he played with his toys hoping that the future would be better than the present.

A/N: The next chapter will be the last in Part I – Innocence after which Bella and Paul's preteen years and Sam and Leah's teenage years will begin. Thank you for reading.


	5. The harsh realities that exist in life

Thank you sarae32, LunaM303, catgrl, brankel1, .7334, MammaNita4, Taylor9901 and tiamaria89 for your reviews.

Part I- Innocence

Chapter 4- The harsh realities that exist in life

One of the harshest truths that exist in life is death. A permanent life changing event that cannot be stopped or changed and is bound to cause pain and sadness to everyone around and Bella at the mere age of seven had recently learnt the seriousness of this one word that though consisted of only five alphabets, the power that that one word held was to no bounds. Birth and death are two sides of the same coin her mother had told her and unfortunately everyone who is born has to die one day.

It had been two months since that unfortunate day when everything Bella had known of had been questioned and a completely new world of questions and doubts and sadness beneath happiness had opened up for her. Two months back the Blacks had left for a family vacation to Spokane. Sarah Black's youngest sister Janine had recently got engaged and a short visit to meet her had been converted into a family vacation to Spokane and nearby and Bella had bid them goodbye as they sat in their minivan for their road trip with huge smiles on their faces and a happy spirit in their hearts. It was a joyous occasion after all, a joyous occasion that had gone completely wrong.

As only a few hours into their journey Harry Clearwater had received a disturbing phone call which had made his feet freeze in its place in shock while the phone had fallen from his hand. A truck had rammed into the Black's minivan in the worst way possible and they had been rushed to the hospital in Port Angeles for immediate medical attention. A few from La Push, Harry Clearwater and Quil Ateara the fourth being two of them had rushed to Port Angeles as soon as the phone call had ended.

It had been a long two days though at the time Bella had not known the reason why all the adults around her and even Sam were so worried but on the third day she had found out when Harry had returned with Rachel and Rebecca who had surprisingly survived unscathed with just a few scratches and cuts and Jacob who had a fracture on his left hand and had left them at the Clearwater's house leaving again for Port Angeles. Bella who had been confused at the sight in front of her and at the fact that Rachel and Rebecca were crying as Sue hugged them to her while Jacob kept asking for his mother, had asked Allison who had sat her down and told her about one of the main harsh truth of the world – death. Unfortunately the Black's had been a victim of a rash truck driver which had led to Sarah Black's death on spot and had left Billy in a precarious situation where he was fighting for his life every minute of the day.

When Bella had heard of the word 'death' instantly her mind had diverted towards when Kim's fish silver had died and they had buried it in the ground and it had taken her a few more minutes to understand that Sarah Black, her favorite aunt Sarah who gave the best cuddles and made chocolate chip cookies for all of them was no longer a part of this world and Bella was never going to see her again like she never saw silver again. Her mother had said that Sarah was now an angel in heaven who would look over them and keep them safe and Bella had cried asking for her to be brought back. She had seen how sad Rachel, Rebecca and Jacob who still did not understand much, had been and how they had shed tears for the mother they were never going to see again and when Allison had taken her in her lap and told her that it was permanent and could not be changed she had clung to Allison for her dear life with the fear in her mind that if Sarah Black could be taken away from her kids so could her mother and she could not live without her mother. For the next three days both her and Sam who though was elder was still shocked and afraid by the sudden turns in life, had refused to let Allison go and had even slept with her on her bed refusing to sleep in their own room or own bed while Tiffany Call had taken Embry home with her taking a leave from work to be near to her own son in such a time. Finally Allison had hugged her children tightly and had told them that she was not going to go anywhere leaving them alone and the both of them had believed her knowing that their mother did not make empty promises while Allison had told them that this was the time to be there for the Blacks as they needed this support in their difficult time.

The entire reservation had been in shock at the turn of events that had occurred in their chief's life and Bella had seen how everyone irrespective of age or gender had stood by the Blacks in whichever way they could. Rachel and Rebecca were elder and knew what had happened and Leah who was one of their good friends had stood by them like a rock as everyone walked on eggshells around them as they awaited the news of their father's condition and Jacob who was only five did not even understand what had happened as every few hours he cried for his mother only to be shushed by either Rachel or Rebecca and even though Bella did not understand everything and only knew that Sarah Black was not coming back as her mother had told her, had hoped that by some miracle Sarah would return when she had seen the sadness that surrounded everyone.

Sue had tried to get all three of them back to their normal life as much as possible as they had waited for days for any news on Billy to arrive and finally after a long wait of six days Harry Clearwater and Quil Ateara the fourth had returned with Billy Black who was sitting on a wheelchair tightly holding a wedding ring in his hand that Bella had guessed was Sarah's. The accident that had claimed Sarah Black's life had also taken away the motion in Billy Black's legs leaving him bound to a wheelchair for life at the mere age of thirty two and Bella had seen how all of three of his children had clung to him while they cried for the wife and mother they were never going to see again.

Bella had observed for days as slowly, taking small steps one at a time the lives of everyone in this small little reservation had gone back to normal or in the Black's case as normal as it could get. Rachel, Rebecca and Jacob had gone back to school like they did before and Billy had returned to his shed to work on his carving business though his movements were now restricted while Billy's sister Nora Littlesea had taken over looking after the children when Billy could not while the others like Sue Clearwater, Allison Uley and Joy Ateara helped Billy out in keeping the house clean and cooking meals for them so as to reduce his burden.

It was now two months since the accident and Bella had accepted that things changed in life and not always for the better. Some things were just not in our control and there was nothing we could do about it and as she sat in her room drawing in her book her mind went back to the conversation she had had with Paul a week after Billy Black had returned home.

She had been playing at the beach when she had seen Paul sitting by the cliffs alone and she had walked up to him to tell him to move. Sam had told her how it was dangerous to sit by the cliffs and how she should never be there without an elder around and so didn't the same rule apply for Paul?

"You should not sit here. It is dangerous" she said standing a little away from the cliffs

Paul turned back to look at her before shrugging and looking back ahead, completely lost in his own world.

Bella who had soon come to the realization that he was not going to move had slowly and carefully walked up to where he was sitting before sitting next to him taking care of not being on the edge. If Sam or her mother had come to know of this they would be very angry but Bella did not care as Paul was sad and she wanted to know why he was sad. She did not like it when he was sad.

"What happened?" she asked softly frowning at the frown on his face

He just shook his head in complete silence as Bella observed that he was holding something that looked like a photo in his hand but it had been turned to the other side so she could not see whose photo it was.

"What is this?" she asked in curiosity trying to get the photo out of his hand and taking a look at it

Paul's face had suddenly turned red with anger as he roughly clutched the photo closer to him "Don't touch it"

"I am sorry" said Bella realizing that she had upset Paul "Why are you sad" "Whose photo is this?" she asked more patiently this time around.

Paul shook his head "I don't want to talk about it"

Bella pouted. How could she have helped him if he did not tell her why he was sad?

"Mommy says that you should tell people when you are sad. Sharing your sadness helps in making it go away and mommy is always right" said Bella trying to make him understand

Paul was quiet for a few minutes before he turned the photo back towards him and Bella took a peek into it realizing that the photo was of a woman with black waist length hair and russet skin who had a huge smile on her face as she held a small baby in her arms whose eyes were closed as if it was sleeping peacefully.

"Is this your mommy?" asked Bella with her eyes widened in curiosity

Paul nodded his head slowly "This is the only photo I have of her. This is her with me when I was born"

Bella's face formed a pout as she thought of the next question "Where is she?"

Paul looked at her for a few minutes before looking back at his lap "Daddy says she is in heaven"

"Like Aunt Sarah?" asked Bella softly

Paul nodded his head before whispering "I miss her" "You know daddy tells me stories about her sometimes when he is in a good mood" he added in sudden excitement.

"She must be missing you too" said Bella instantly "Will you tell me those stories?"

Paul was quiet for a few minutes before he smiled and said 'sure' before starting to tell Bella about his mother and Bella smiled as a big smile came over Paul's face. She liked it when he was happy and smiling and they had sat near those cliffs for the next two hours as Paul had told her everything he knew about his mother while Bella had listened getting to see a completely different side of Paul and they had only moved when Sam had come to call Bella to take her back home with him and he had glared at Paul before holding her hand and leading her towards their house.

Bella still could not understand why Sam hated Paul so much and her mother always told her it was nothing like that when she asked her but then why did Sam always glare at Paul when she was playing with him? She liked playing with Paul. He was her friend and Bella pouted at the fact that she just could not understand Sam's reaction.

"What are you doing baby?" asked Allison as she came into the room and sat on the cold floor next to Bella

"Drawing" said Bella showing Allison her book who gushed over her work like a proud mother as Bella blushed at the praise.

"How was school? What did you learn today?" asked Allison as she ran a finger through Bella's shoulder length hair that was untied at the moment, calming Bella with her touch.

Bella thought back at her day. She liked going to school. She enjoyed reading and learning the new things they were taught but she enjoyed playing in the playground on the swings and slides as well.

"We started with the multiplication table" she said widening her eyes as she thought of how difficult it was. She loved English but found Math very difficult. Why couldn't Math be like English?

Allison gave her a small smile "I will teach you some tricks to learn the table. Then you won't find it difficult"

Bella gave her a grin before going back to her drawing letting her mind go back to the other event that had occurred in school today. Drawing always calmed her and put her attention to other things and at the moment she needed it as in the lunch break when she had been playing with Kim, Liam who was the meanest boy in her grade had come up to her and had teased her saying that she had no father and that he had heard rumors that her father had left because he did not like her. Bella had wanted to cry at his comment but she had stopped herself and had given it back to Liam telling him that sad people bully others as they are unhappy and want to make others unhappy too. Liam had frowned before he walked away from there, having no comeback but Bella's mind had not moved past his comment. Sure, she had wanted to ask about her father many times but Sam always told her that it would hurt her mother if she asked her and it did not matter as they had one another. Bella knew that her father was not in heaven but then where was he and why didn't he stay with them or come to visit ever? Were the rumors true? Her mother never told them anything on this matter and even Sam avoided talking about their father.

"Mommy can I ask you something?" she asked softly as Allison nodded her head telling her to continue

"Did daddy leave because of me? Was I a bad baby?" she asked as tears welled up her eyes

Allison shook her head in shock "No Bella. It is not like that"

"Then why?" she whispered "Liam said that he left because of me. He did not like me and so left us"

Allison shook her head before sighing "It is not like that baby. Your father loves you so much you have no idea. He loves you just like he loves Sammy and Embry but he has to work. He hates to be away from us all but he has to. But Bella we have one another right?"

Bella nodded her head in agreement as Allison kissed her forehead lightly.

"We have one another and that is enough" said Allison as she cuddled Bella close to her as Bella believed every word of that. They had one another and it was enough.

They sat like that for a while before Bella went back to her drawing book while Allison went to check on Sam who had just come home from a football game before Sam took Bella to first beach to play while he met his friends.

Bella tried making a sandcastle but her thoughts were somehow still on Allison's words and the fact that she had never even seen a picture of her daddy. She did not even know what he looked like. She had a lot of questions but no answers as she did not want to upset her mother more by asking her those questions and without her knowledge a frown had made its way on her face as she thought about this.

She looked up in surprise when a pink rose came in front of her eyes suddenly out of nowhere and she turned to look at the side to figure out the person whose hand was holding the flower.

"What is this?" she asked in surprise

"It is a rose, a flower" said Paul in a 'isn't is obvious tone'

Bella rolled her eyes "I know it is a rose, a flower but why are you showing it to me?"

Paul sighed before sitting next to her on the sand "You are sad and I had seen on TV that girls like flowers?" he asked rather that said as if he was not completely sure.

Bella took the rose from him and took a whiff of it as a small smile came over her face. It was a very pretty flower and she did like flowers indeed.

"What if I had said that I don't like flowers?" she asked in confusion wanting to know his answer

Paul took out something from his pocket and placed it in his palm as he smiled "Then I would give you this"

Bella's eyes widened in surprise as she took the object from his hands "Candy"

Paul chuckled "See I knew this would make you smile"

Bella nodded her head as she unwrap the candy and started eating it, closing her eyes in pleasure.

"You want some?" she asked opening her eyes again after a few seconds and looking at Paul

Paul nodded his head "Sure" and Bella broke a piece from her own candy and handed it over to Paul who too relished in its delicious taste.

And they both just sat on the sand in front of a half made sandcastle, gazing over at the blue water in front of their eyes as people laughed and played games around them, and they ate and moaned over the candy in their mouths. Words were not spoken as they both knew that there was no need for them. Something was changing and the air around them was a proof of it.


	6. Growing up

Thank you Anchalee, catgrl, LunaM303, MammaNita4, brankel1, loveforgreeneyes and Taylor9901 for your reviews.

A/N: Unless mentioned otherwise the chapter will be in Bella's POV. Thank you for reading and I hope you like the chapter.

Part II- Attraction

Chapter 1- Growing up

Being a preteen is tough. You are in the age where you are neither considered a child anymore nor are you an adolescent on the way to become an adult. You are stuck somewhere in the middle, a ship left in the middle of the ocean, left from the coast of childhood but still not reached even the middle of reaching adulthood. Everything around you is changing rapidly and you are probably one of the last to get a hang of it. Your body is changing, your friends are changing, your ideologies are changing and even your emotions are changing. This is the period when your hormones overrule every instinct of yours and feelings that you never even had are now blooming and forcing you to act on it, willingly or well unwillingly. Puberty the most difficult and life changing aspect of growing up is at the cusp of your life and while you crave to be treated like an adult you are far from having the maturity and bearing the responsibility of one. Male classmates and friends you once played with, without even thinking about twice are now in every thought of yours and you can't stop yourself from acting like a loony and blushing in front of them whenever they are in sight and most of all, you think that no one understands you and especially not your parents but the fact of the matter is that maybe you quite don't get yourself. You are changing internally and externally but a part of you is still not ready for it and so in the confusion of not understanding yourself, you say that no one gets you. But all in all it is a part of growing up. The embarrassing years that everyone irrespective of gender or place goes through before you grow up and realize that you were indeed an immature fool in those years and the decisions you took were plain stupid but when thought back on leave a smile on your face and so the preteen years, the stage between childhood and the dreaded teenage years is indeed tough but it is a part of growing up.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Hey Bell" said a familiar cheerful voice as I felt a hand touching my shoulder from behind and I took the textbook I would need for the next class out of my perfectly organized and decorated locker before shutting it and turning to face the person who stood in front of me with a huge smile on her face.

"Yes Kim" I said as we started walking towards the classroom being careful to avoid banging into someone running from the other side in top speed as a few minutes before class began suddenly everyone would start running in the hallways with no care of the world.

"Guess what?" she said, her voice filled with excitement that honestly made me want to roll my eyes. Kim was always excited, no matter for what it was. She was one of the happiest people I knew of and so her excitement and cheerfulness did make my life a little more, livelier than it would have been in her absence.

"Umm I don't know" I said completely clueless "You got a new dog and named him Yeti Spaghetti or something?"

She gave me a look as if I was crazy "What no" "What kind of dog name is Yeti Spaghetti by the way?" she asked me incredulously.

I shrugged "You did name your Persian cat chicken pants"

"I was seven when we got him" she said in a stating manner "And you know Max is allergic to dogs. I had to literally fight him to get chicken pants home even though he is a tom cat and that idiot is allergic to dogs" she added in an annoyed tone.

Kim loved animals and was fanatic over them and animals equally loved her too. Wherever she went dogs and even cats would just attach themselves to her and let her touch them and pet them while they would growl or just give a disinterested look to everyone else who tried to touch them when she was around and so after years of asking her parents for a pet, she now owned two pet cats named Chicken pants and Mr. Wiggly and so a dog named Yeti Spaghetti was not exactly out of the realm of possibility and me on the other hand, I could not have been more opposite in this aspect. I liked animals but from a distance and the only animal I went gaga over was a wolf but even I was not that stupid to go and try to pet it when I saw one thankfully from afar.

I just chuckled at the annoyed expression on her face as she thought of hitting Max for his allergy which was completely out of his control as she rolled her eyes and muttered a whatever.

"So what did you want to tell me?" I asked as her face again took over that excited look on which she had just a few minutes back.

"Yeah so like I was saying" she drawled out "Mom is taking me and Max to the roller skating rink in Port Angeles on the weekend so that we can finally learn how to skate"

I looked at the palpable excitement on her face that brought a smile on my face too "That's great"

I had learnt skating two years back at a birthday party thrown at a skating rink and had really loved it but at that time Kim's parents had been very reluctant to let her skate because of her skinny body type and the fact that they were scared that she would get severely injured if she fell down while skating and so she had sat out while most of us learnt to skate.

She gave me a nod with a huge grin "So are we on next weekend for the birthday tradition?"

I gave her a 'duh' look "Obviously"

The birthday tradition was something we both had shared since our sixth birthdays or at least I remember from that birthday. The birthday tradition was basically that on both of our birthday eve's we would have a sleepover at either her house or mine and watch a movie or gossip or play a game and welcome the birthday together and this year I was turning twelve and so there was no way the birthday tradition was going to be broken.

"Great I will rent the movie" she said as I nodded my head in agreement. If left on me there was a high chance that I would forget so it was better if she got it.

We walked towards the classroom in hurried steps when we were suddenly stopped in the way by the presence of another.

"Hey Shorty and Ms. my brother still treats me like I am five" said an annoyingly sweet voice standing in our way as I sighed. Great there goes our good day down the drain.

"Hey Jane" I said with a polite smile as I felt Kim stiffen by my side. Kim was the shortest girl in our grade and so was often teased because of it and fortunately or unfortunately for me, Sam was still as overprotective of me as he was say five years back but apart from the occasional fights when he got too overbearing to bear I really did not mind it as much as I knew he only did it because he cared way too much and these days thankfully Leah did manage to get him to calm down.

"So Bella" she said in a mocking tone "Does Sam still butter your toast for you?"

Her minions standing behind her laughed as I rolled my eyes at the immature insult "Jane, Have I told you I really like your makeup"

She gave me a confused look before straightening herself and smirking at what she thought was a compliment.

"But unfortunately I can still see your hideous personality under all those layers of powder. You should do something about it" I said in a serious tone as Kim started laughing while covering her mouth and her minions frowned. I patted her back as if consoling her before the both of walked away from there.

"That was amazing" said Kim when we were out of their hearing range

I sighed as I looked at her "Why don't you ever give it back? Why do you just listen to their shit?"

"Because I can't" she whispered clutching at her book "I just don't have it in me to give a comeback. What if they start bullying more to take revenge?"

I sighed though I knew the truth in the fear in her words. I feared it sometimes too but I knew that there was no way out. If you stay silent people take your silence for weakness and I was not weak and at the back of my mind I knew that having an elder brother who was popular and known for his strength did have its perks and so I was saved from a few things that were more common with the others of our age.

"Come on let's go to class" I said as she nodded her head and we started walking towards the classroom for a day filled with assignments, homework and the horrendous studies that we were saved from in the elementary years.

Technically we both should now have been in middle school being in the seventh grade but because the school in La Push was one building which hosted all grades from K to 12, we were still in the same building we had been in three years back and we would also still be in the same building for the high school years which Sam was now in but the timings for the junior classes differed from the rest.

Classes went by terrifyingly slow as I concentrated on actually paying attention to what was being taught instead of talking to Kim and risking getting a detention and so by the time art class rolled out which was the last class of the day, I was exhausted and was counting the minutes for the bell to ring.

I had just leaned back in my seat carefully placing the materials I would need on the desk when suddenly a paper plane came and hit me out of nowhere. I picked up the paper giving it an offensive look before turning back to see from where it had come flying.

I sighed as I looked at one of my oldest best friend who was responsible for throwing the paper plane. Of course how could I forget he was in this class too and was one of the main reasons why the both of us had got detention in the past for talking.

"What?" I signaled with my hands. Ms. Gomez our teacher was known for her no talking in class policy after all.

He pointed towards the paper plane telling me to open it and I sighed but opened it.

'_Third beach after school?' _he had asked and I gave him a confused look. Why would we be going to third beach after school today? Third beach was one of the lesser visited beaches as the only way to reach there was through a hike that not many preferred though the view from it was breathtaking and especially during sunset.

He rolled his eyes as he threw another paper at me this time in the form of a crumpled ball. I quickly picked it up from the floor and opened it.

'_Photography, remember Ms. Forgetful?' _

I glared at him. I was not Ms. Forgetful. I just tended to be a little preoccupied with other things sometimes but that did not mean that I was forgetful. Hey I remembered all the important things and talking of important things how could I forget Paul had been telling me to go with him to third beach for weeks now. He had found his father's old camera a few weeks back while cleaning the house and ever since he had developed a penchant for photography and was always with his camera traveling around La Push searching for the perfect shot and the third beach was known for its scenic shots but what fun was it hiking alone and so he had asked me to go with him.

I wrote my answer _'Okay but after I go home and tell my mom' _on a piece of paper before crumbling it and throwing it at Paul after making sure that Ms. Gomez's attention was elsewhere.

He rolled his eyes at my answer but I gave him an 'isn't it obvious look'. So what if unlike my peers I was still close to my family and believed in sharing stuff with my mother. I knew many thought it was uncool and all but my mother was one of my closest friends even today and so I did not think it was unusual or weird, contrary to what others thought or felt.

The rest of the class passed by quickly after that and soon the bell rang signaling the end of the day. After packing my stuff, telling Kim and a few other friends who took the bus bye and informing Paul that I would meet him at the starting point of the hike in half an hour I started walking towards my home.

Ever since I could remember I had walked to and fro from home to school though it did help that the school was less than a mile away from where I lived and over the years I had come to love this alone time that I spent walking, lost in my thoughts with only the calm surroundings and cold air giving me company.

It was not like I did not like hanging out with other people or spending time with my friends, I truly did but sometimes I liked to be alone, left alone with only my thoughts to reflect on.

"Hey Bella" said a voice from behind me, a few minutes after I had started walking and I turned back to see a figure running towards me from a distance.

"Hey Jake" I said with a smile on my face when he came closer to where I was standing

"I almost thought I had missed you" he said panting and stopping to take a breath "This is for you" he said putting his hand ahead and opening his palm for me to see the object placed in it.

"Jake this is…" I said disbelievingly and a little shocked

"A seashell bracelet" he said with a grin and slightly blushing looking at the ground "I made it for you for your birthday but I could not wait till next week to give it to you"

I shook my head hesitantly "It is beautiful Jake but I can't accept it"

It was not like I did not appreciate the gift or the thought behind it. I loved the gesture but it was too much in my eyes. Ever since the past few months Jacob had developed this sort of weird crush on me that I was aware of, though in my eyes we were only family friends who were kind of like brother and sister and I had often thought of politely telling him this but how do you tell a ten year old with a puppy crush on you this. Isn't it cruel? And so I nervously smiled in front of him with the hope in mind that this weird crush would soon pass by and everything would go back to normal.

"Please" he said giving me the puppy dog eyes which made my resolve weaken

"Umm okay" I said with a small smile "Thank you for this but no more gifts after this"

He returned my smile with a nod "Sure Sure"

We walked in silence for a while as he asked me if he could drop me home even though his house was on the opposite side of the res.

"So here we are" I said nervously as we reached my house

He nodded his head looking a little sad.

"I will see you tomorrow" I said in the same nervous tone

"Sure Sure" he said with a huge grin as he walked back in the opposite direction and I sighed and walked inside the house. I liked it so much better when we behaved like brother and sister or family friends instead of him having this weird crush on me.

"Hey Lee, Sam" I said looking at the two people seated in the living room as I entered the house. Leah was sitting on the couch one hand playing with Sam's hair who was seated on the floor watching a game on the TV while her other hand was holding the book she was currently reading.

"Hey Bells" she said looking up from her book giving me a smile. Leah and Sam had been dating for a few months now and even before that there had always been something between them and Leah had always been like an older sister to me who I could share all the girly secrets with or could go to for advice on topics you could not ask your mother when your friends had knowledge even lesser than you did. In fact when they had started dating I had been the happiest out of all and I also termed myself as one of their biggest supporters.

Sam just gave me a nod, too engrossed in his game and I went to my mom's room to inform her that I was going to third beach with Paul to which her reply was _'Sure honey have fun' _which I had already expected and so after dumping my stuff in my room and freshening up a bit I made my way towards the door to leave for third beach.

"Where are you going?" asked Sam looking up from his game when I was at the door

"To third beach with Paul" I said hurriedly in an attempt to leave before he started with his weird usual interrogation when he heard Paul's name.

"Alone?" he asked raising his eyebrow

"Yeah" I said confused, not quite understanding his question

"Why?" he asked suddenly getting all serious which was weird point blank

"He wanted to click some photos" I said defensively. What was with Sam? We were just two friends hanging out. It was not like it was a date or something.

He took a deep breath as if calming himself down "Look Bella I have told you this before I don't like you hanging out with him…"

I cut him off rudely "And I have told you this before too. He is my friend, one of my closest friends and just like I don't tell you who to hang out with and who not to hang out with I expect the same courtesy here"

He huffed "But…"

"Sam" said Leah putting a hand on his arm to stop him from saying anything more. They exchanged a look between themselves that I did not understand.

"Look I don't have the time for this. Paul is waiting for me right now. I will talk to you after I come back" I said looking at Sam who gave me a reluctant nod and with that I left the house to go to third beach with Paul.

A/N: I don't live in the USA and have absolutely no knowledge of the education system there. Everything I have taken is either from the internet or from my own experience of school and so if anything is incorrect please let me know. I will get it changed. Thank you.


	7. The emergence of new feelings

Thank you Anchalee, catgrl, MammaNita4, brankel1, .7334 and Sarae32 for your reviews.

Part II- Attraction

Chapter 2- The emergence of new feelings

"Paul, How much longer" I asked tired, nearly out of breath as I stopped at my place and tried to get my breathing back to normal. We had been hiking through this rough terrain filled with rocks and mud for the past hour now and I didn't even have the count of how many miles it had been, all I knew was that my feet hurt and I was exhausted. It was not like I was unfit or something. I was of the appropriate height and weight for an almost twelve year old girl but going on incline, passing through a bunch of hard big rocks was just not easy and the known fact that I had two left feet and any sport humanly practiced was just not my cup of tea did not help in making me go faster.

He rolled his eyes as he stopped by my side and took a look at me "Just a little more. We have covered the majority"

I sighed as he started his fast paced jog again and I followed him through the uneven rocks "Tell me again why I agreed to this?"

He gave out an amused laugh at my attempt of sarcasm "Because I am your best friend?"

"And see all of us make mistakes" I said sarcastically widening my eyes as he chuckled

"Too bad you are stuck with me" he said in a monotone "Now give me your hand. If you walk at this speed we will reach there tomorrow and for your kind information we have to be back in town before sunset after clicking the photos and all. These woods tend to become spooky after sunset"

I nodded my head in agreement at that. It was still afternoon and already these woods were starting to creep me out with their extreme green foliage and eerie silence. I gave my hand in his as we started walking at a Fast speed the final leg of our hike to the third beach.

His russet skinned hand was warm, warmer than mine and for some unknown reason tingles passed though my body at the feeling of our intertwined hands which was strange. We had held hands and walked so many times before when we were kids but something inside me this time around was different. I could not tell what it was but it was different and left butterflies in my stomach. The way he held my hand, so softly but protectively. It felt good, weird but good which confused me even more.

"Earth to Bella" he said bringing my attention back to the present "Where did you space out"

I shrugged as I shook my head. No point in telling him anything when I quite don't understand this sudden feeling myself. We continued walking in silence through the woods, passing one rock after another. The rare sun that had shown itself today fell on us as we walked towards the beach, giving us some warmth and I just could not stop myself from thinking that Paul looked beautiful with the rays of the sun falling on his russet skin which sort of gave a shiny glow to him, almost angelic.

'Beautiful?' where is this coming from? I have never considered Paul to be beautiful or even handsome before. He was just Paul, my annoying, slightly frustrating, kind of an ass best friend who had always been around me. He was not beautiful or handsome.

I shook my head trying to get rid of these confusing thoughts but involuntarily my eyes fell on him, gazing at his appearance that had gone through a few major changes over the months and I felt as if I was looking at him for the first time.

He was tall for a thirteen year old and stood at 5.9 compared to my 5.1 and his lean body had started developing muscles which suited him a lot. His voice had become deeper, with his Adam's apple becoming more prominent and the childlike face that I had seen growing up was now making way for something else, something mature and much more ruggedly handsome.

I blushed at the thought of considering him ruggedly handsome. Paul had always been a good looking person but now he looked absolutely breathtaking with his casual apparel of pant, shirt and a sweater over it and his short spiky black hair. Most of the Quileute boys and men including Sam, Jake and Embry preferred to keep their shiny black hair long but not Paul, for as long as I could remember Paul had worn a short haircut and to be honest that suited him more than long hair would have.

I looked at him in surprising awe as he ran a hand through his short hair and my fingers clutched into my shirt tightly with the sudden intense urge to touch his soft locks and see if they were as silky as I was assuming them to be. Sweat was glistening down his chest that was covered by the sweater and even though a small part of me was grossed out, another part of mine could not help but keep looking as if he was a lake of fresh water and I was a woman lost in the desert.

What is wrong with me? Why am I suddenly thinking about Paul like this?

'He is your best friend Paul, you idiot' I chastised myself but my mind was still in la la land it seems as I just could not think coherently at the moment.

"Wow" said Paul looking ahead as his feet stopped moving and he stood at his place

Indeed Wow, I thought as I nodded my head in agreement though my eyes were still looking at him instead of looking at whatever he was seeing. Had I been blind before? How had I not appreciated what was in front of my eyes before?

"What are you looking at?" asked Paul turning towards me in confusion when he realized I was completely lost and staring into space.

I shook my head trying to act normal even though I had no idea what was normal anymore because ogling at your male best friend that you have known for more than seven years is certainly not normal.

His hand left mine and I instantly missed the warmth of his body. I wanted to take his hand again in mine and keep it there. It was almost as if now that I had tasted the finest chocolate to exist I could not go back to anything else. My body craved his touch and I felt like banging my head in the tree opposite to get myself back to normal. What on earth is wrong with me?

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly and I blushed at the thought that he cared for me enough to worry. He raised his eyebrow waiting for an answer and I nodded my head mildly stopping myself from opening my mouth and saying something I would end up regretting later.

"Okay" he said quite not believing me "Race you to the beach"

Suddenly he started running ahead and a few seconds later my mind caught up and I too started running towards the picturesque beach that I could now see in front of my eyes.

"This is amazing" I said a few minutes later as I sat on a piece of driftwood facing the strawberry bay falls which was a very popular waterfall in the area, the water falling from the cliffs above directly into the ocean. Paul was clicking photos of the ocean and the scenic view it presented combined with the waterfall and the huge rocks haphazardly placed in the ocean as he stood behind his camera, his feet bare on the smooth sand and even I kicked off my footwear to get a feel of the sand beneath my feet.

Luckily it was not rainy or as windy as it is generally in La Push and after pushing a stray strand of my shoulder length brown hair behind my ears I observed Paul who was in his own flow as he clicked photos using different angles and focusing on different objects big and small. In all the years that I had known Paul, I knew this about him that once he took on something he was extremely passionate about it and recently photography was all he thought and spoke about and so I knew how much today meant to him. My eyes roamed around the beach at the few campers that had hiked here owing to the good sunny weather and were sitting on the beach blanket and talking.

"Hey Bella come here" said Paul bringing my attention back to him and I walked barefoot on the sand liking the feel of it between my toes, towards where he was standing.

"Yeah" I whispered to him in confusion

"Model for me" he said as he looked at the ocean in concentration, doing some adjustments to his camera

"What" I said in surprise, widening my eyes

"Look just stand where I tell you to. I am going to click some photos of you" he said softly explaining it as if he was talking to a toddler.

"I know what 'model for me' means" I said annoyed "I am not dressed for that" I said looking at my usual jeans and t-shirt that I would not consider photo worthy on any day, also I could bet that that was mud staining my jeans just below my knees.

He rolled his eyes as he scoffed "Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now or even on any other normal day? Heck most of the girls in school are jealous of you and so many boys have a crush on you much to Sam's anger and annoyance" he chuckled looking into his camera again.

'Paul thinks I am beautiful' I thought as a blush covered my face without meaning to. I don't even think I heard what he blabbered after that. 'He thinks I am beautiful' kept repeating in my mind.

"So…?" he asked waiting for my answer

"Umm I don't know" I said unsurely. I did not consider my face to be photogenic and for some reason I was always too conscious of when my photo was being clicked making me look weird.

"Come on" he said in a pleading tone "I need the practice and you can keep the photos. It is win win for both"

I nodded my head after a few minutes. Paul never pleaded and if he was, it was definitely important to him.

"Why didn't you get Jared with you?" I asked him as he pointed towards where I should stand, on the sand where the waves meet the shore "He is also your best friend"

He rolled his eyes at that "Yeah like I want Jared standing here and modeling for me with his hands on his waist. Seriously I like the guy but I don't like him that much also and hiking with you is more fun. Jared just keeps talking about how your friend Kim is the most beautiful girl to exist on the planet and it gets annoying after a point you know" he said fake gagging

"Really" I asked in surprise "Because Kim thinks the world of Jared"

"Yeah?" he asked

I nodded my head as a devious plan made its way in my mind and a smile came on my face.

"Uh-oh" said Paul in an exclamatory manner

"What?"

"I recognize that look you just had on" "It is the 'I am planning something evil in my mind' look"

I rolled my eyes "They like one another. They need to pushed in the correct direction"

"No" he said simply shaking his head "No way. We are not matchmakers. They like one another that is their problem not mine. I am not getting involved"

"Come on Paul. They are our friends. Jared is your friend. Don't you want him to be happy and in love?"

"Yeah as if middle school romances work" he said shaking his head scoffing "All this is bullshit Bella. Feelings that are not going to last more than a week or at max a month, anyways Love is nothing more than a waste of time"

"That's not true" I said protesting "Sam and Leah liked one another from years and they are together and love is definitely not a waste of time. It is love, beautiful and completes you"

"That is just one example against several" he said "Look I am not telling you not to believe in all this. It is just that I don't. My old man is with a different woman every night. You think he loves any of them? I doubt he even loved my mother. Love is nothing but lust with a coating on it"

I shook my head in protest. Love is something much more powerful than just attraction or lust but I also knew why Paul felt this way. Over the years many a times I had heard about Gavin Lahote and his promiscuous ways and I just could not understand how Paul's father could behave like this and that too in front of Paul.

"Okay so what pose do you want me to do?" I said changing the subject and steering us away from all the heavy topics. Paul was young yet and had been given a tough hand in life. He will soon realize that love is not a waste of time but is much more powerful and beautiful.

For the next hour Paul guided me as to where to stand, in what pose and at what angle my head should be while he kept clicking photos, coming to me and showing me after every shot and I had to admit that he was really good at it and the photos that he had clicked were amazing and made me look really good. He promised to give me the photos though and even clicked a bunch of candid while I was staring at the water or had my feet immersed in the waves that touched the shore.

After clicking the photos which Paul wanted of the scenery and tide pools and spending time on the beach for some more time the both of us made our way back to the reservation through the woods. Luckily the sun had not yet set and so it was not as difficult and creepy as we had anticipated nonetheless it was not a good feeling as every few minutes I would feel as if something was going to jump out of the woods to attack us and Paul being the ass he was decided that this was the best time to tell horror stories of teenagers lost in the woods.

Somehow with all the screaming and praying on my part and laughing on his, the both of us made it back to the part of the town where my house was and after bidding me bye he walked towards his house while I went inside my house telling him that I would see him tomorrow in school.

"Bella" said Allison as I entered "I was just setting the table for dinner. Come help me"

I nodded my head and went to my room to change into something more comfortable before going downstairs and helping in setting the table. Soon dinner was ready and I went to call Sam who was in his room talking on the phone to Leah who had just left before some time to go home and Embry who was staying the night over as Tiffany Call was in Seattle with her boyfriend for the night.

"What's for dinner mom?" asked Embry as all of us sat on the table

"Enchiladas" said Allison with a smile as she served some in Embry's plate. For years now Embry had called my mother 'mom' too but still every time he called her mom, a wide smile would come on her face. Though I didn't remember this Sam had told me how everyone had been surprised when Embry had started calling Allison 'mom' and his own mother from her name as both Sam and I referred to them that way and he had learnt it from us but neither his mom nor ours minded it much. Tiffany Call considered herself to be too young to have a grown up son anyways and did not mind him referring to her with her name and Sam and I were just glad that we shared one more thing with our younger brother.

"So how was third beach?" asked Allison after I had taken a bite of my food

"It was good" I said as I started telling them about our hike and the hours we had spent at the beach as the three of them listened in concentration. Soon the topic changed to sports and Sam's upcoming football game and I listened with Embry and Sam doing most of the talking. After dinner and helping in cleaning up I went upstairs to my room to complete my homework that I had to do before school tomorrow.

I was working on my math homework when I heard a knock on my door and it being slightly opened.

"Bella, can I talk to you?"

I nodded my head "Yeah sure come in Sam"

He came inside and sat on my bed with a hesitant look on his face as if he was unsure of what to say.

"All okay?" I asked starting the conversation as I saw him nervously fidget with his hands which were sort of out of place as Sam was not a fidgety type of person. He was always confident and calm in his approach.

He nodded his head "Yeah… actually I wanted to apologize for earlier…"

"Its okay" I interrupted him seeing his nervousness "I understand"

He shook his head "No let me finish what I want to say"

I motioned him to continue and he took a few deep breaths before speaking again "I know it is not my place to tell you who to hang out with or not. It is mom's place and till she has no problem I should not interfere but you are my baby sister. I was three when you entered my life becoming a part of my family and ever since I have wanted to protect you and make sure that you are happy and I just don't want you to get hurt in this friendship which Paul is sure to do one day"

I got up from my desk and walked towards the bed where Sam was sitting. Sam had never been a very open person when it came to talking about feelings and stuff so I knew that talking about all this was difficult for him.

"I will not get hurt" I said with full surety "Paul is my friend, one of my oldest friends"

He shook his head slowly "You don't know that. His father's reputation…"

"We are nothing like our father Sam" I interrupted him harshly getting up from the bed "You and Embry are nothing like that man who left us, who left mom" "You know what's funny" I said with a small harsh laugh "Mom still refuses to talk bad about him. She still says that he loves us and cares about us when all of us know the truth is that he does not give two damns about us"

Sam stood up and came behind where I was standing putting a hand on my shoulder making me turn to face him "Hey we have one another and we have mom. We don't need him"

I nodded my head "And Paul will not hurt me. He may be mischievous and annoying at times but he is loyal to his friends"

"More like annoying at all times" Sam muttered under his breath

"So what brought about this change?" I asked ignoring his earlier comment

"Leah" "She made me realize that you are not a child any longer and you are mature enough to make decisions for yourself"

"I always knew the girl was smart" I said with a chuckle

"Yeah I know and that is why she is my girl" he said proudly "A game is starting in a few minutes, you coming?"

I nodded my head thinking 'why not' and quickly put my books back in the bag before joining everyone downstairs in what was family time which my mother was very particular about.

After a few hours of shouting at the TV, laughing and cracking lame jokes, courtesy Embry I made my way back to my room.

After doing all my nighttime routine I lied down on my bed and removed my diary that I had been writing in since the beginning of the year. I had started maintaining a diary two years back and most of my entries were just mindless chatter of the day gone by but I liked writing in it and making memories out of my routine life.

'Hmm so what all happened today?'

I started writing everything from the morning, going to school, talking to Kim and the incident with Jane to going to third beach hiking and the photos clicked followed by dinner and the game.

One name that stood out though was 'Paul'

I moved my finger over his name that I had written as I let my thoughts free.

Why did I feel like things were changing and why was I suddenly thinking of him like this? I closed my eyes and thought about being near him, holding his hand, spending time with him, kissing him…

Shit! I opened my eyes in shock. I had never thought of him like this before.

What was happening to me?


	8. Crushing on you

Thank you Sarae32, catgrl, MammaNita4, .7335, Anchalee, LunaM303, brankel1 and Loveforgreeneyes for your reviews.

Part II- Attraction

Chapter 3- Crushing on you

'It is just a crush' I reminded myself firmly for the hundredth time in the past week 'A stupid ridiculous phase wherein you get attracted to your best friend and act like a complete idiot in front of them. There is no need to act or even think about it Bella' I repeated in my head 'It is just a crush and will go away very soon. We have celeb crushes all the time remember, just last week it was Johnny Depp and this week it is Leonardo DiCaprio and so there is absolutely no need to think about Paul like that. Give it some time and it will pass by' I convinced myself and smiled as I felt my brain agree with my heart. I had reached a decision. It is just a crush and crushes come and go all the time. So many girls in my grade were a living example of this. No need to panic and act in haste. I will just relax and act like there is no turmoil going on in my head. Paul is just my friend, just my best…

"Hey Bella" said a familiar voice who I could even recognize in my sleep by now

"Paul" I whispered as my cheeks turned red with a natural blush and my insides melted at the sweet loving way in which he had said my name.

"Why are you standing there alone? Come here and play with the rest of us. It is your party after all" he said in a surprised tone

I blushed harder. He wanted me there with them, there with him.

"Yeah" I whispered shyly nodding my head as he made his way back to where the others were and I groaned just as he was out of sight. Great there goes my plan of acting like everything is normal directly out of the window.

I rolled my eyes at my own ridiculous uncontrollable hormones as I walked towards the others. Today was my 12th Birthday and so we were all here in the bowling alley in Port Angeles to celebrate and everyone near and dear to me was here today. It had actually been a surprise to me that had been very well kept under the wraps by, by my mother and brothers and till the last minute when I had actually entered the bowling alley and seen all my friends and near dear ones I had had no idea of this.

Today had coincidentally started in a similar manner to every birthday of mine since I had been six. Kim had stayed the previous night over to welcome my birthday like she did every year and we had stayed up watching The Princess Diaries which was my choice and 13 going on 30 which had been her choice. Luckily my birthday had fallen over the weekend this year around and there had been no pressure to wake up early and go to school the next day and so we had watched the movies till late in the night gorging on popcorn and candies before gossiping about school and who had a crush on or was dating whom and gasping every time we heard something unheard of before. It had been in the wee hours of the morning when we had finally decided to call it a night though I had been awake just a few hours later as the fresh aroma of my birthday breakfast filled the house. It was a tradition in the Uley house wherein every year my mother made a lavish mouthwatering breakfast for the three of us on our birthday to begin the day in a great way and I had eaten the muffins, hash browns, doughnuts and French toast that had been made for me amongst the other items till my heart's content before going back to my room to get ready to get on with the day. Unlike many others who planned for their birthday months in advance I had not made any plans for my actual birthday and I had been more than happy to just have a home cooked dinner with my family but unknown to me and much to my pleasant surprise plans had already been made and just as Kim had left to go back to her house my mother had called me to her room and told me that the both of us were going to the Port Angeles for a mother daughter bonding day. Today was my birthday and I was allowed a few things that were definitely not going to be permitted again very often and so I should take advantage of it, as she had put it and so an hour later the both of us had left La Push to go to Port Angeles.

The first stop on the list had been a salon where I had spent the next few hours getting my nails done with a manicure and pedicure followed by a fresh coat of baby pink nail polish which even made my half bitten nails look good. After which my hair had been given a trim and my already straight hair was straightened and styled to perfection. The last and most unexpected thing though had been when my mother asked me if I wanted to get my underarms waxed for the first time. My first reaction had been shock and slight surprise at her question but then she had said that it was completely my decision if I wanted to get it done or wanted to wait or incase I decided to never get it done or go for shaving but in the end I had decided to go for it and even though it had pained a lot almost like someone was ripping off my skin harshly, in the end I had left the salon with clean smooth underarms and a smile on my face as I realized that I was on step closer to growing up.

When we had left the salon I had thought that we would be heading back to La Push but again I had been surprised when we had headed towards the shops in the mall for a round of shopping. I had never been the one to go bonkers over shopping growing up with two manly brothers who detested even the word shopping but trying new outfits and purchasing new items that came with the tag of birthday shopping was certainly an amazing experience. We had bought jeans, tops, shirts and even skirts and dresses though reluctantly on my part before my mom picked up a few training bras for me. Though my breasts were far from completely developed I had started wearing training bras a few months back and I was still not very used to it but my mother had ensured me that I would very soon get used to the idea of wearing a bra as the time passed and my breasts developed more. After finishing with the clothes shopping we had gone towards the footwear section and for the first time in my life my mom had offered to let me buy heels though it had come with the condition that I was to wear them only on special occasions and to not make a habit out of it which I had gladly accepted. I had seen the women around me wear heels and though I was more of a sneakers type of girl I was excited to understand the craze of heels. We had bought a pair of Kitten heels and Wedges before buying a pair of fancy boots with the least heel possible which could be worn under the skirts and dresses I had purchased and on my insistence though in the end we had also ended up buying another pair of sneakers.

After leaving the mall with me wearing my new clothes and sneakers and after taking a click lunch at McDonald's the both of us had sat back in the car to drive back to La Push but a few minutes into the journey my mom had taken a different turn which had led us to here, the bowling alley.

Though I had kind of expected being surprised with the sudden turn of events, the magnitude of my surprise birthday party had come to my notice when I had entered the bowling alley and had seen everyone close to me shout 'Happy Birthday' in unison.

I had looked around me to see everyone from Billy, Jake, Rachel and Rebecca who I rarely ever saw even after living in the same reservation to Quil Ateara the fourth with his wife Joy and Quil the fifth. The Clearwater's were here with Leah who was holding Sam's hand and her cousin Emily who I had seen a few times over the years and lived on the Makah reservation, and so were Kim and her parents and her brother Max. Even the Cameron's were here and so was Paul who was looking at me with a big smile on his face that made me blush instantly.

I was soon engulfed by hugs and birthday wishes by everyone followed by Sam and Embry coming and giving me their big brother hugs which was ironic in the case of Embry who even though was younger to me often pretended like my protective older brother.

And so here I was at the bowling alley trying to hide my newly discovered feelings for a certain someone while trying to enjoy the party thrown for my birthday.

Everyone took a few turns at bowling, attempting to hit the bowling pins with the ball they had chosen in the narrow bowling lane as I stood behind waiting for my turn and questioning Kim on why she had not given me a hint about today's party. We had a deal we always told one another the important stuff. She was rolling her eyes and telling me that it was a surprise and you don't tell a person that you are going to surprise them before you actually give them a surprise when I heard a voice from behind me making me turn and look at the person in question.

"Hey Bella" said Jacob Black with a huge shy grin on his face

"Jake" I said returning the smile "Are you enjoying?"

He nodded his head coming closer to where I was standing while Kim left the both of us as it was her turn to bowl.

"Happy birthday again" he said cheerfully

I said a thank you before awkward silence filled the air again. I swear it was so much better when I didn't have an idea of his ridiculous crush on me and it was even better when there had been no ridiculous crush to think about.

"You are looking very beautiful today" said Jake blushing

"Umm thank you" I said shyly

"So I was thinking…" he started to speak before we were interrupted by Leah who was calling everyone to where she was standing next to Sam.

"Let's go see what that is about" I said as he hesitantly nodded his head and we made our way to where the others were standing while whatever he was about to say lay forgotten.

Leah and Sam soon explained that we were going to have a bowling competition being divided into two teams with equal number of players who would each take a turn to bowl and cross out the maximum number of pins in one go getting the maximum number of points. Each team would get ten chances or ten frames as it was said in the language of bowling and the winning team would be the one with the maximum points on the computerized score board at the end of the game.

We went for the old fashioned way of boys versus girls for the game and the teams were quickly divided as Sam, Embry, Jake, Paul, Jared and Quil in the team boys and Leah, Rachel, Rebecca, Kim, Emily and I in the team girls.

Leah was the first to go from our team being credited as the best bowler when it came to bowling and faced Sam who was the eldest out of the opposite team. They both smiled in a competitive manner at each other before taking the balls they wanted, Sam going for a heavier one compared to Leah and stood at the line in the position to throw the ball in the bowling lane. Both of them released the ball at the same time and coincidentally both of them got a strike too which meant that all the bowling pins were down in the first try getting them the same number of points.

We all cheered for our respective teams with the elders sitting behind and watching and gossiping amongst themselves before it was time for the next two.

Rachel went against Embry with her getting a Spare which was all pins except two were down in the first go and the remaining two were hit in the second try and Embry got a split in return which was all pins were hit with the center ones falling leaving two on both sides which made the team boys groan out in annoyance.

Quil and Kim went against one another with Quil getting the maximum points and Jared went against Emily with again team boys winning the round. Rebecca went against her own brother Jake and showed him the loser sign when she managed to get a strike and he managed to get all except one which again got shouts of annoyance from the team boys table and a pout from Jake.

The next to go where Paul and I, which again made me blush when I realized that I was up against him. Surely who decided all of these things had a weird sense of humor which was beyond my understanding.

"Ready to lose Bella?" he asked as we stood to take our balls

"Why? Are you cheating again?" I asked raising my eyebrows

He looked confused for a moment and I decided to help him out "Remember the game of Steal the bacon when you had cheated when we were kids?"

He gave me 'are you serious' look "You still remember that? We were what five?"

"I was five and you were six" I said nodding my head "And I remember because you cheated and made me lose when I was absolutely going to win"

He gave out a laugh "Dream on Uley. You were not going to win even if I had apparently 'not cheated'" he said using apostrophe marks.

I gave him a disbelieving look "Of course I was going to"

He rolled his eyes "In that case defeat me today. If you win this I will accept that you would have won then too and for your information I never cheat" he said in a challenging manner.

I laughed a loud laugh before stopping abruptly and looking at him "Oh that wasn't a joke, cause that is the funniest thing I have heard in years"

He showed me the finger making me laugh and mutter 'crybaby' before he took a ball to go and hit the pins while I chose my ball too.

"You're on Lahote" I said taking my position behind the line and he did the same saying that unrealistic dreams are for when we sleep not while we are awake.

We both released the ball at the same time and I closed my eyes in anticipation while I waited the few seconds for the ball to travel the short distance. I opened my eyes when I heard a loud yes come from the other side and realized that Paul had got his team a strike while my ball had hit the pins making all fall except one which even after moving at its spot refused to fall which made me and others instantly groan in frustration.

"You just got lucky" I said when I saw Paul cheering and pointing towards the bowling lane mocking me.

"Yeah losers always blame luck you know" he said waving his hand in the air

I rolled my eyes at him before going and standing next to my team while he did the same. I knew our playful fights were silly but that was just the way we both were and I did not even want to change it if I could, anyways I knew that neither he took it seriously nor did I.

The remaining four turns were taken by Leah, Rachel, Rebecca and I who went up against Sam, Paul, Quil and Jared and at the end of the game the team boys had won though from a very less margin in the number of points.

After the game ended all of our tired selves were led to the space reserved for eating purposes and we all sat on a table with food such as pizza, burgers and French fries coming in with our glasses being filled with soda which felt like an unusual treat in it.

We all laughed and joked, the tiredness of the earlier game all gone and spoke about everything from school to movies to classmates to first beach and to everything in between before we were finally told that it was time to go home with school being the next day.

I bid everyone a bye, blushing when Paul said bye our earlier banter completely forgotten, with my mother thanking them for coming and making the day special and everyone sat in the cars they had used to come here before the four of us too made our way home with me almost dozing off in the backseat.

"So did you enjoy your birthday?" asked Sam as we entered the house

I nodded my head enthusiastically "I loved it" "Thank you" I said looking at my mother

"Don't thank me thank Sam. It was his idea and he arranged everything"

I gave my brother a huge hug thanking the stars for giving me such an amazing older brother before going my room to finally sleep after this extremely long day.

After changing my clothes and doing my nighttime routine I lied down on my bed and opened a few gifts that I had received before putting it all away and removing my diary to write in it.

'_Dear diary,_

_Why is it so easy to be around Paul? When I am around him I forget everything. Every sadness in the world just disappears and the world seems a happier and prettier place to be. However movie like it sounds the colors seem brighter and it feels as if the sun is brightly shining over us taking away every dark gloomy thought away. Why is this happening to me? I have had celebrity crushes before and have even admitted to find some of the boys in class attractive but this is something completely new and scary at the same time. I want this sudden crush to go away but then why do I have a feeling that it is only increasing with every passing moment?'_

_Yours,_

_Scared Bella_


	9. To tell or not to tell

Thank you LunaM303, MammaNita4, sarae32, Anchalee, catgrl and brankel1 for your reviews.

Part II- Attraction

Chapter 4- To tell or not to tell

"Being a woman sucks" I groaned out in pain as Kim entered the living room of my house with her usual excited look on her face. It was a Saturday and when I had declined to go out to Second Beach with her and a few others from school, she had asked or rather told that she was coming over as she had something extremely important to talk about which definitely could not wait till Monday and neither was it a 'to be told on the phone' news as she had put it.

"Why do you say so?" she asked curiously, her excitement lessening a bit, sitting beside me on the couch

I pointed at the recently put heating pad that was lying on my lower abdominal region "I got my period last night. It sucks"

She gave me a curious look "Really? Does it suck that bad?"

I nodded my head, every inch of my body in pain "I have terrible cramps, almost as if someone is repeatedly kicking me in the gut. I feel extra bloated and oh I crave chocolates and ice cream at all times possible and I have to wear this ridiculous tampon at all times over all of that" I cried out.

"Damn" she whispered "But craving ice cream and chocolate isn't that bad" she said after a few minutes of silence as if that was a consolation prize.

"Yeah but then I feel guilty for over indulging in all those things which makes me feel worse" I said sighing "Why did I ever wish this to happen to me?" I groaned out.

Ever since the first girl in our grade started her period at ten, all the other girls including me had started to wait for ours in worry and dread of what and when would our period come and be like and as the time passed with more girls getting their period that worry of getting a period became the worry of not getting a period and even though my mother and even Leah who was older and knew all this stuff, had ensured me this that it will come when it has to and there is nothing wrong with your body if it comes later or earlier than others I was still waiting for it with my fingers crossed and now that I had got it the only thing on my mind was why did it have to come so soon?

"My mom told me that every girl goes through a little discomfort during those days and especially during the first period. It is normal to have some discomfort" said Kim in a nervous manner

I nodded my head "Yeah even I read the same when I was reading about all this but I didn't know that it would be this uncomfortable"

"I don't know when mine will come" whispered Kim who too was still waiting for her period to begin, like few other girls in our grade and even in the one above us. In fact we had even heard the rumor that Claire Littlesea who was two years older than us in school and had not yet got her period had tried faking it in front of her friends who all had got it as she felt that she was abnormal.

"Trust me it is nothing great and your biological cycle will soon kick in" I said sighing as I felt another cramp "So what did you want to talk about?"

Her excited look that had diminished soon returned and she jumped on the couch in excitement as she faced me, shrieking out loud "Jared and I kissed last night"

I looked at her in shock with my mouth open for a few minutes before I managed to shut it and speak "Are you serious? How? When? And you are telling me this right now, so late?"

She gave me an apologetic grin "I told you it was face to face news and it so could not wait till Monday"

I nodded my head in agreement "So how was it? How did it happen?" I asked nervously folding my arms while sitting on the couch, waiting for her to tell her story.

"It was magical" she said slowly sighing in happiness "I mean it was a bit awkward at first as we both had no idea of what to do exactly but after we got a hang of it, it was amazing"

"Wow" I said in wonder "So how did this happen?"

"He had come over to give me his English notes and we were sitting in my room talking or rather he was talking while I just blushed and stared at him when he asked if he could kiss me"

"What did you say?" I asked in anticipation, biting my lip

"Obviously I told him yes" she said grinning shyly "And then he leaned in and touched his lips to mine once then twice and before we knew it we were kissing properly"

"Wow" I said in surprise "Then what happened?"

She gave me an annoyed look "We were looking into one another's eyes, smiling at the moment passed and I almost thought he was going to lean in again, when I heard Max coming to my room, running and shouting from the living room like he always does and so quickly Jared shifted to the desk from where he was sitting on the bed"

"Oh" I said slightly disappointed

She rolled her eyes "Apparently my mom was calling me downstairs for helping in making dinner and she had told Max to ensure that my room door was wide open for obvious reasons you know"

I gave her an understanding nod, not that I had experienced this in life but I somewhat understood having two overprotective brothers who nearly growled every time a boy tried flirting with me no matter the fact that I was least interested in any of them, well all except one.

"So is he like your boyfriend now?" I asked curiously

"Umm I don't know" she said hesitantly "We did not talk about it but I am guessing he is, like isn't that what generally happens after you kiss?"

"Maybe" I said shrugging unsurely "It is not like I have been kissed or have had a boyfriend before and these things don't come with a manual. I mean I could ask Leah but then again Sam would find out and let's just say that is a bad idea"

She nodded her head "But Bell, There are no words for how kissing feels. It is amazing, the butterflies in the tummy, the feeling when your lips touch…" she started telling me with her eyes wide and excitement clearly written on her face and as I listened to her automatically my thoughts drifted towards the one person whose face came to my mind on every occasion these days, whether I was listening to a romantic song or reading a book his name, his face, his words were always on the forefront of my mind, imagining singing the love song with him, for him, imagining if the story in the book were to be our story, were to happen in our life, then how different would life have been.

I sighed internally at my thought process. It had been a month since my twelfth birthday and even though I had tried to get rid of my crush on Paul, it had turned out to be extremely difficult as everything about him seemed to pull me in. The way he threw paper planes at me in class to get my attention made me blush like a fool instead of annoying me these days. The way he put his arm around my shoulder when we walked together for lunch made me crave his touch and fill me with desire to be around him. Every day that I spent in his company made me want more and more and like a moth to a flame everything about Paul Lahote just seemed to pull me in, like he was the most fascinating being to exist. My mind was constantly on conflict around him. A part wanted to just hold his hand in mine and see how it feels and another part of mine just wanted to go back to how we were the best of friends before all these hormones and all decided to intervene in our lives and totally mess it up and now that Kim had spoken of kissing, all my mind could think about was how would it feel to touch my lips to his soft full lips. Would it be magical or would it be awkward? Would it be like a peck or would it be like a proper proper kiss with the tongues involved? Would it be…

"What are you thinking about?" asked Kim realizing that I was completely lost in my own thoughts

"Kissing Paul" I said without thinking about it, realizing my mistake a minute too late

"Why would you be thinking of kissing Paul?" she asked confused before her eyes widened at the sudden realization "Unless… Oh my God you like Paul Lahote" she shrieked out loudly.

"Jeez Kim" I said covering my ears, annoyed at the fact that I had given away my secret "Why don't you go and shout this from the cliffs of second beach. I am sure there is an old couple in Port Angeles with slight hearing problems who has not heard you yet?"

She rolled her eyes at my over exaggeration "But seriously this is huge. Why am I finding about this right now?" she said bossing and looking offended.

I sighed. I had not wanted anyone to find out of this because in my mind it was still a ridiculous crush that was soon going to fade away though I had almost been caught by Kim before who fortunately had no idea of this. A week back my insanity had crossed all levels when I had been doodling my name with Paul's surrounded by hearts, in Math class when Kim had leaned in to see something in the book. Luckily with quick thinking I had changed the page before she could see Paul's name written amidst hearts in my book. That would have been catastrophic.

I shrugged looking at Kim "It is just a crush, no big deal. Happens all the time to normal people" I said though I could feel that it was somewhat a lie as you don't feel so much on only a normal routine crush.

"Maybe" she shrugged "But I know of all your crushes since when you were seven. Even the ones where you liked the guy for like an hour" she said raising her eyebrow "So what is so unique about this one that I can't know of it?"

I shrugged again not knowing what to say ahead. There was no answer for why I did not want her or anyone else to know of this. I guess I myself was not at complete terms with these new sudden feelings and so did not want anyone else to know of it.

"So does he know it yet?" she asked after a few minutes of silence

I gave her a shocked look at her sudden question "No of course not"

"Why?" she asked seriously confused

"He is my best friend, Kim" I said in an obvious manner "I can't lose him because of a stupid crush. Feelings ruin friendships"

She was quiet for a few minutes as if contemplating what I had just said "What makes you say that?"

I sighed "Look at Jake and me, Kim. He was like a younger brother to me before… and now it is just so awkward"

"Jake is a Kid, Bella. He will soon understand that his attraction was just that attraction and does not mean anything more" she said looking older than her eleven years of age

"We are only eleven and twelve you know" I said pointing out the fact that Jake was only a year younger than her "And how do you know what I have is real and not just an attraction?"

She scowled at me "You get the point don't you" "Also I can feel it. You are different when Paul is around. You are happier"

I shrugged trying to act nonchalant "It does not matter. I know him. It is better if I just forget about all this. Thinking about all this is useless"

"What are you scared of Bella?" she whispered slowly "And don't try lying to me. I know you well"

"What if I lose him? He is my best friend" I whispered back after a few minutes of silence

"You don't know that" she said raising her voice in a no nonsense manner "How can you make that assumption on his behalf?"

"It is because I know him" I shouted frustrated taking my head in my hands "I know him well enough to know this. This crush, these feelings will just ruin everything"

"Bella, do you really want to go your entire life not knowing what his answer was? Even if there was a percent hope of him saying he likes you too"

I shook my head. I can't deal with this right now when everything inside me wants to scream at Kim and at everyone around and then fall on the floor and cry, all in the same minute.

I was confused at my own bodily reactions at the moment but I decided to ignore it for the moment. I had made up my mind and I did not want to be convinced otherwise. What I had with Paul was good. We were best friends. I could not lose that for something that had no guarantee of happening.

"Look" said Kim making me look up at her again "I have to go now. We are taking Chicken pants to the Veterinarian in Port Angeles for a checkup but think about what I told you. If your feelings have not suddenly disappeared by now there is a chance that they are not going anywhere and there is no harm in telling him. It is not like you are married since years and now are going in for an ugly divorce and you will suddenly stop talking to him…"

I raised a confused eyebrow at her example which made absolutely no sense but then shrugged and decided to ignore it. It most probably did not matter anyways.

She sighed before getting up from the couch "Just think about what I said, Bell. Loving and being loved by Jared was the best thing that has happen to me yet or at least I hope he loves me too, not like I am going to go and tell him this that I am in love with him. Can you imagine what his reaction will be? We just kissed like yesterday…" she blabbered out

"Kim" I interrupted her "I can see your mom waiting for you in her car, from the window. She doesn't look that happy. You might want to go and check?"

"Oh shucks" she said muttering something under her breath "You know what I have to rush. Give me a call later"

"I will. Bye" I said as she ran out of the house, not even looking back once.

I sighed as I myself got up from the couch a few minutes later, keeping the heating pad on the side. The conversation with Kim had confused me more than give me clarity. Should I tell him or should I just pretend like everything is okay? Uh why is my crush just not disappearing? Why do I still think of him like that as if he is an angel disguised as a human?

'Stupid hormones' I thought kicking the center table in anger and groaning when my right toe pained due to the hit.

I made my way up to my room before sitting down on the desk and doodling in the empty book placed in front of me.

Should I tell him or not

What if my telling does more bad than good? But what if he says he likes me too?

As I kept writing his name in different fonts and styles, my thoughts kept returning to the same point, to tell him or not?

After wasting a half an hour thinking about this and what could happen in either cases I finally decided to taking a deep breath in and just go with my heart instead of going with my mind. Whatever happens we will face the consequences.

I nodded my head once agreeing with my thoughts before getting up from the desk and going back to the living room to use the phone to call Paul's landline. Now if it was Kim or Jake or even Quil I would have just dropped in at their house uninvited but not with Paul. That was one rule my mother had placed as you never know what mood Gavin Lahote was in and so it was always better to call Paul and go rather than turning up unexpected.

I called the number that I had memorized long back and waited in nervousness as the phone rang and rang without any reply. I was just about to cut the call when it was answered by a gruff voice.

"Hello"

I sighed internally. It was Paul's father and the one man I so did not want to talk to.

"Hello Mr. Lahote. This is Bella Uley. Is Paul there?" I asked as politely as I could muster

"No he is out" said the voice before the line was cut off harshly.

'Rude much' I scowled before sighing and sitting back on the couch.

'No problem if he is not at home right now. I will tell him tomorrow' I thought with a smile. The decision was made. I was going to tell him that I had feelings for him tomorrow.

A/N: The next chapter is also almost done. It was originally going to be a part of this chapter only but then I decided to break it into two as it was crossing the word limit I have set for this story which is 2,500 to 4,000 words per chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and the next one should hopefully be out in a day or two. Thank you.


	10. The letter

Thank you brankel1, Anchalee, .7334, catgrl, MammaNita4 and sarae32 for your reviews.

Part II- Attraction

Chapter 5- The letter

_March 17, 1988 _

_Billy,_

_I don't know where I should begin writing this letter as there are no words I can use that will justify my actions but I will try to begin at the beginning. Billy, you and the others have been like a family to me in this small little town where when I had arrived, I had known nobody. Not only were you my husband's best friend but you were also my older brother that I had never had and I can never thank you enough for what you and the others have done for me. _

_I know that by now you must have realized what I have done looking at the state of the house, the locked door and this letter and I know that you must be thinking what a cruel, selfish woman and mother I am. I agree with you completely on this but Billy, please know that if I had another choice, I would never have taken this route. _

_I am only nineteen and even though I know it is not an excuse as there are woman far younger than me who have been amazing loving mothers, my own mother being an example of this, I can't do it Billy. I just don't have it within me. I wish I could have been the mother my daughter deserved, the wife my late husband deserved but I have failed. I have tried very hard these past few months to stand up on my own two feet and take responsibility of the house, of my child and make Charlie proud but I give up. I am tired of crying myself to sleep every night, worrying of there not being any food in the house, worrying of what will happen to me and my daughter ahead and I wish so many times that things would have been different, that I had not run away from my house when I was sixteen over a ridiculous fight, that I now realize was childish, with my parents who only wanted the best for me, that I had not had a child who I love more than my life but was not ready for, that Charlie had ignored that phone call that dreaded day or that I had not been guilty of the worst thing I have ever done in life._

_Charlie is an amazing man, Billy. When he loves and trusts someone he does it with his entire heart and I am ashamed to say that I have done something that makes me believe that I never deserved to know that man and be married to him. _

_Billy, what I am now about to tell you nobody knows except me and now you but I cannot live with this guilt anymore. I need to confess or my own guilt will slowly kill me from the inside. _

_A month or so after our quick marriage that occurred just a few months after we first met one another falling in love at the first sight, Charlie was in Seattle for the night to meet one of his high school friends who was now working for the Seattle Police. It was a formal yet informal type of meet and so even though he had wanted me to go with him as a weekend trip with the excuse of later seeing Seattle, he had decided against it at the last moment, leaving me alone here for the night. _

_I can still remember that day clearly when I close my eyes. It had been raining heavily and being the stupid teenager that I am, I had decided to take advantage of the fact that I was alone for the night and have some 'me time'. Now I know what you must be thinking, I could have just stayed at home, watched some TV, drank some wine and had my 'me time' but I had done otherwise. Ignoring Charlie's advice and caution that Jack's Bar was not a place for a woman as it was filled with drunkards and the pungent smell of stale beer and urine, I had made my way over there with the decision that I would leave after one drink and come home. I had only kept this in mind that I was going there to see what it is like and why Charlie detests that place so much. _

_It had been fairly empty on the day owing to the heavy rainfall and I had sat on the counter taking my one drink, beside a handsome man in his late twenties who was talking or rather flirting with the female bartender. _

_He had smiled at me when he had seen that I was looking at him and I had smiled back to be friendly. We had started talking and out of courtesy I had replied back, keeping the conversation going. I don't even remember when my one drink had turned to several and it had become hours since I had left my house lying to Charlie that I was calling it an early night and sleeping. _

_I will spare you the details of what had happened ahead but the next day when I had woken up in a cheap motel laying beside a man whose name I hardly remembered, I could not have felt worse and I had cried for hours later for cheating on my husband who loved me and trusted me more than anyone ever had. _

_Two months later when I had found out that I was pregnant, I had hoped and prayed that the child was Charlie's as I really wanted it to be his. Every time I looked at him or we made love, I could not get the guilt out of my mind that I had cheated on this man. But again my sin had caught up with me as the minute my daughter was born I knew that she was not Charlie's. _

_Isabella Marie Swan, the apple of my husband's eyes whose mere laugh or smile would make his day was not even his daughter by blood and I could not even get myself to tell him this though being the person Charlie was, he never questioned me on why Isabella looked so different. Luckily she had acquired a bit more of my skin tone but her features were all that man's who I had spent the night with. _

_Many a times I had thought of gathering the courage of telling Charlie everything, hoping that he would forgive me but something or the other would come up and the days before I had finally decided to confess, Isabella had started crying day and night, without stopping and with no reason for doing so and I had again stopped, thinking that I would tell Charlie after she gets better but unfortunately that day never arrived as you know the rest. _

_Maybe this was the punishment for my mistakes. I had to lose Charlie, the only man I have ever truly loved so early on in life and I know that even if I spend the rest of my life making up for it, it will not be enough. But I will still try. Charlie deserved that much from me._

_Now another reason why I am telling you this is that my six month old Isabella's father is Quileute. I don't know much about him except that his name is Joshua Uley or at least that is what he had told me. I don't know if he was saying the truth or lying that night since I have not seen him since but he had told me that he lived in La Push._

_Assuming that he had said the truth and you must know who he is, I request you to please tell him about Isabella and if he is willing to look after her, let him. I only want the best for her and if the best for her is not by my side I will gladly let her go. He looked older and well to do and maybe he won't be against the idea of raising his daughter. Well I can only hope. _

_And as a last favor to the woman, who considered you to be her brother, please look after my daughter, make sure she is safe and happy and never let her know of who I was. I don't want her to know of the mother who failed her. _

_-Renee Swan_

My feet felt numb as I slouched down to the hard rough floor tightly clutching the slightly torn, weathered piece of paper in my right hand. It felt as if the ground below my feet had been roughly pulled away making me fall in a tunnel of darkness and of the unknown. Everything that I had known that I had believed in was now being questioned. How do you differentiate right from wrong when your entire essence seems like a lie?

I had read and then reread the letter once, then twice and then to be sure thrice but the words never changed. They stayed the same haunting me and taunting me with the sick twisted truth I had not been privy to.

Isabella Marie Swan or Isabella Marie Uley

Who was I? What was my identity?

I had always been known as Isabella Marie Uley, daughter of Joshua and Allison Uley and sister of Samuel Uley. I had never known of another identity. Was it all a big constructed lie? Did everyone except me know this truth?

Warm tears fell down my eyes, staining my cheeks and shirt but I did not have it in me to raise my hand and wipe them off. Everything seemed different yet the same. In a few minutes nothing and everything had changed, nothing in the world around me and everything within me.

When I had first read the letter I had jotted it down to coincidence. There could be other people with the name Isabella Marie. It was a common name. Maybe not as common in La Push but it was still a common name right?

Isabella Marie Swan the daughter of Renee Swan and her husband Charlie existed somewhere. She was not me. I was Allison Uley's daughter. This is just a coincidence I convinced myself. Maybe she got her daughter's biological father's name wrong. Maybe it was some other Uley instead of Joshua. John Uley or Jason Uley, It could happen. She herself said she hardly remembered the name. Yes she just got confused. I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I was overreacting. It was surely nothing.

The second time I read the letter I noticed more things like the date which was exactly six months after my birth date and she had written that even her daughter was six months old. Again it is just a coincidence, I convinced myself. So many babies are born on the same day in the world. It can happen that two Isabella Marie's were born on the same day or in a span of the same week. This doesn't mean anything.

The third time I read the same words I fell to the ground crying as it finally hit me that if it was just a mere coincidence this piece of paper wouldn't be in my mother's room kept neatly in a book in her bedside table. If it would have been a lie or just a coincidence it would have been crumpled and thrown in the garbage bin years ago.

12 years, no one keeps crap in their bedside table for so long without a reason.

I cried louder, clutching my knees tighter and wrapping my arms around them. No this was a lie, a horrible lie. I was Isabella Uley, the daughter of Allison Uley not of some Renee Swan whose name I had never even heard before today.

Why had I let myself read this letter? Why hadn't I just ignored it, ignoring this blatant curiosity in my head when I had seen the letter pop out of the book?

Yes I blamed curiosity for this mess I had found myself in. If I had just minded my own damn business I would not have been in this problem now.

Just a few hours earlier I had been so happy and excited. I had finally taken the decision to tell Paul of my feelings. I was going to tell him tomorrow that I liked him with the hope that he liked me too. Everything was going to be perfect. We were going to be happy and now suddenly this. I had come to my mother's room shouting excitedly from the hallways to ask her if she had seen my blue shirt that I had bought new and wanted to wear tomorrow when I went to confess my feelings to Paul.

I had excitedly opened my mother's room door talking a mile a minute when I had realized that the room had been empty all along and no one except the walls had heard a word of what I had said. I had frowned, hitting myself on the forehead lightly for my apparent stupidity of not checking the room before I started talking and I had almost turned back to leave the room and go the Shed where I knew my mother would be when my eyes had suddenly fallen on something instantly getting all my attention and I had slowly walked towards the source of my now keen attention.

With care I had picked up the handmade birthday card from the table and with a smile on my face had read through the contents written in it again. Ever since I was in kindergarten I had made handmade birthday cards for Sam, Embry and my mother and even though I was now grown up, making the cards was something I had not let go off and also the proud smile that graced my mother's face when she saw the card was worth it.

'My mother' I stumbled on these words now when I thought about that moment just a few minutes ago. Was Allison even my mother anymore or had I lost the right to call her that, now that I knew the truth?

'No' I shook my head with force as tears threatened to fall from my eyes. She was my mother and no matter what a stupid letter said she would always remain so.

I thought back to the happy laugh she had given me the day when I had asked her why she saved all these cards and went through them so often, as I could not understand her reason for doing so. She had just smiled and told me that I was growing up and soon I would be too busy or too disinterested to make birthday cards for her and so she wanted to savor these moments and the reason why she saved all these cards was for when I left the house promising to call her every now and then, only to forget and get busy in my own life, leaving her here behind.

I had clung to her like a baby as she had run a hand through my hair, kissing me on the forehead as I had promised her that I was never leaving her, Sam and Embry. She had just kissed me once more telling me that there were still years left for that part of my life and we would face it when it came, whatever came.

I cried louder thinking of that horrid moment when I had placed the card back on the table, only for my eyes to fall on the piece of paper falling out of a novel placed in the half open drawer of the bedside table and out of curiosity my hands had opened the rest of the drawer to see what was written on the paper.

A part of me knew that it was wrong. It could be private and my mother would not have liked it if I would have read it but another part of mine was curious to find out why this paper was lying in the novel like this.

It was the same curiosity you have when someone tells you not to turn and look and all you want to do is turn and see what the other person is talking about and in the end my curiosity had won out and I had carefully taken the paper falling out of the book, out of the drawer to open it and read what was written.

I so wish I had not done so as the first few minutes after I had finished reading had been confusing as I just could not get a grasp on what was written but as the pieces started to fall in place I felt my world falling apart and as I cried sitting on the cold hard floor I knew that things had changed for me.

I don't know for how long I sat there motionless, just thinking and bargaining to whoever was sitting up there listening to us when we pray, that I had misunderstood and everything I had known in life was not a lie. I promised to be a better person, to argue with Sam less, to be nicer to people and in return this would be a nightmare I would soon wake up from but I never woke up. I tried pinching myself trying to wake myself up but still I never woke up and finally after accepting that this was reality and I had actually read the letter that my mother had saved for all these years, I had decided that I wanted answers.

There were too many questions swirling in my mind to which I wanted an answer, needed an answer and there was only one person who could give me those answers and so with this new resolution in my steps I stood up from the floor, wiping my eyes and straightening my clothes and made my way out of the room to search for an answer.

Though the distance from the main house to the Shed right outside was not at all much and could be said was at a stone's throw away, for me at the moment it felt like it was miles away. My feet felt heavy and tired and with every step I took forward my determination weakened. What if everything written in here was the truth? Was my mother just looking after me out of pity? Did she regret taking care of me? Why did my birth mother Renee leave me? Even if I had read her reasons for doing so I still could not comprehend them completely. It was all a big bundle of confusion in my mind.

Even though I wanted to know the answers a big part of me was terrified of what I would hear. A part of me wanted to run back inside and forget about all this. If no one had told me of this it obviously did not matter and so even I should forget about it but another part of me knew that this was not something I could forget so easily. I needed to know who I was.

I slowly opened the door of the shed and walked in to see a familiar sight. My mother was on her sewing machine working on her home sewing business while a radio played in the background as she melodiously sung to the tunes. She had not yet noticed me standing and for a minute I wanted to run back to the main house forgetting all of this.

"Bella" she said looking up in surprise "Did you want anything sweetie?"

I nodded my head forcing my words out "My blue shirt, the new one. I can't find it"

"It must be in your room only" she said with a smile "I will look for it when I get done with this" she said pointing towards her machine before looking down again as her hands again started moving.

I took a deep breath in as I raised the courage to ask what I had come to ask.

"Mom, why don't I look like you and dad or even Sam?" I said wanting to hear it from her own mouth. My skin color had always troubled me a bit. It was pale in comparison to Sam's or my mother's copper and even though I had never seen my father or Joshua Uley as I generally called him, I had a suspicion that he too had the same copper skin tone.

"Bella we have spoken about this" she said lightly sighing "Genes are complicated and sometimes they skip generations too. You look like an exact replica of my mother. She looked just like you in her young days. You have taken after her instead of me or your father"

"Yeah" I asked unsurely "Then why haven't I seen a photo of hers?"

It had always surprised me how I was never shown a photo of my grandparents on either side. Whenever I asked I was given some or the other excuse of why there were no photos of them.

She looked at me confused "What is with the questions? You know how my mother hated clicking photos. Even I have no photos of her though when I see you I can see her in you"

"Stop lying to me" I shouted angrily, exhausted at all the lies. I was angry that she was still sticking to this ridiculous lie. I felt like such a fool to believe in this for so many years. How could I have believed in this for so long?

"What are you talking about?" she asked hesitantly. I could see the mild fear in her eyes.

"I know the truth" I said throwing the letter on the floor before storming out of there with tears falling down my eyes.

I locked myself in my room falling on the bed, shutting my eyes and just lying with my face facing the mattress. Even though it was not even afternoon yet I felt drained out of energy and tired of all that I had found out today.

"Isabella Marie Uley, open the door right this minute" came a loud voice banging on my door. I knew the tone of the voice. My mother was one of the calmest people I knew but when she used this tone of hers it meant business. I sighed as I got up from the bed to open the door for her to come in. I could have tried to ignore her but then again that was never a good idea when she was angry.

She looked at me in her usual loving manner as I opened the door and went back to sit on the bed. I was too tired to have this stressful conversation we were sure to have while standing.

"So you know?" she said sitting down beside me on the bed

I nodded my head whispering "Is it true?"

I wanted the confirmation from her even though I was almost sure that what was written in the letter was indeed the truth.

She sighed heavily "I did not want you to find out and especially not like this"

"Why did you hide it from me?" I asked her slightly hurt that she had lied to me all these years

"Bella" she said taking my hand in hers in a calming gesture "Believe me, I only did it because I did not want to hurt you. You are my daughter and nothing can change that"

"So I am adopted or…" I asked confused still trying to figure it out

She nodded her head "When Billy came and showed me the letter, telling me about Renee and Joshua I asked if I could adopt you as Joshua had already left by then and Billy agreed as the chief of the tribe"

"Why" I whispered looking at my lap

She kissed me on the forehead lightly "Because I loved you since the minute I saw you as a six month old sleeping in a stroller peacefully"

"Tell me about Renee and Charlie" I said after a few minutes of silence. There were too many questions in my mind at the moment.

She took a deep breath "Charlie was a police officer living in Forks and people say he was a very good person though I did not know him personally and Renee his wife had just been in Forks for a few months or so before they got married and soon the news came out that they were pregnant with a girl. I found out later that Renee had cheated on Charlie with Joshua. If you want to know about them you can ask Billy. He knew them the best"

"Was she a bad person?" I whispered

My mother shook her head sighing "No Bella. She had her reasons for what she did. I may not agree but she did love you"

I nodded my head though I was not sure of how much I understood at the moment.

"Does Sam know?" I asked wanting to know the answer of whether my brother knew about this or not

She nodded her head "Yes, he found out a few years back. He questioned me and I told him everything"

"Does he think differently about me now that he knows I am not his real sister?" I whispered scared, crossing my fingers.

"Bella" she admonished "How could you even think so? You are Sam and Embry's sister. Nothing can change that. They both love you and you know that"

"Embry…?" I asked hoping she would understand what I was trying to say

She shook her head "No he does not know because it does not matter. You are my daughter. This doesn't change anything"

I nodded my head "Will you tell me more about this?"

"Of course Bella, I will not hide anything from you if you don't want me to" she said "But remember this always you are a part of me and I will always love you. A piece of paper cannot change that fact"

A few tears fell down her cheeks as I lied down in her lap and she started running her hands through my hair.

"Tell me about Joshua Uley?" I asked

She started answering my question and as I heard her speak, I knew that even though it would take me time to accept all what I had learnt today and make peace with the story of my birth and my real mother, Allison Uley would always be my mother, maybe not by birth but by love and nothing could change that.


	11. Drifting apart?

Thank you sarae32, catgrl, brankel1, Obsessedreader83, Anchalee, Taylor9901 and MammaNita4 for your reviews.

A/N: This is the last chapter in Part II- Attraction. The next chapter will be in Part III. Hope you like this chapter and please trust me on this, I know where I am taking the story. Thank you for reading.

Part II- Attraction

Chapter 6- Drifting apart?

Paul POV-

With slow reluctant forcefully taken steps, I walked back to the house that I had always recognized as mine and lived for in all my life though in all actuality it was more like a motel I had resigned myself to stay in till I could save some money and get the hell out of this dodge. I sighed as I came around the corner and took in the appearance of the slowly falling apart house. The latest coat of paint that was now hardly visible was decades old and spoke of better times that the structure and its owners too had witnessed. A few of the windows that lay wide open were cracked and had never been mended and now lay stuck in their place letting the chilly wind enter the house in all its glory and if I had not been the unfortunate one to live in this ruined house I would have thought that it had been abandoned long back by its owners.

I sighed once again thinking of how much my mother loved living in this house or at least that was what Gavin Lahote or my father which I refused to refer to him as, had told me once when he was still not inebriated or angry beyond his senses. This was her sanctuary, her safe haven, a gift that had been passed down from her parents that she had loved to look after but like every good thing that had gone to the dump after her this had been no exception. She had loved tending to the yard and making it pretty and presentable was what I had heard from the few who did not shy away from talking about her at times, Sue Clearwater her childhood friend being one of them and my thoughts often wandered to what she would have thought if she would have been there to witness what her once loving husband had become and had made to everything around him.

'People change with time and circumstances' I had learnt the truth in this statement early on in life with a living breathing example living in front of me in the form of my father and with every passing year I had seen him becoming worse than even before. His anger was worse and so was his drinking habits that left him intoxicated more than half of the hours in a day and so was the fact that woman who I now recognized as his one night conquests were over more often than not with a few just being a few years older than me and from as far as Port Angeles or even the Makah reservation.

I could never understand the charm he held over those women or what was that he said to get them in this dump even if it was for only a night but I had given up on thinking about it long back. The only thing I knew with full surety was that neither of them felt anything for the other. It was just a setting of mutual benefit for both of them and the more I observed the more I agreed and equally detested to this type of lifestyle. It was wrong a part of me argued. I had seen Sue and Harry Clearwater behave around one another and how in love they were and even Quil the fourth and Joy Ateara, they just lighted up whenever they were around the other making me believe that there was more to life than just the physical aspect of being together but then I would see my father wake up the next morning after one of his conquests had left in a hurry, with a satisfied smile on his face while he made himself a cup of coffee and spoke to me almost like he cared about me and again my beliefs would fall under question. What was correct and what was wrong, if there was a wrong in the first place? Was it all just lust like I had believed it to be or was there something more to life that I had not yet seen and if there was would I ever get to witness or would I just turn out like my deadbeat father whose life revolved around the word lust?

A frown crept onto my face as I noticed movement inside the house from where I stood at the doorstep though in hindsight, I shouldn't have been surprised. Today was a Sunday and the one day when Gavin sat in front of the TV with his beer in his hand and ignored everything and everyone else and though the ignoring my existence part was something I had become accustomed to in all these years, I still did not prefer to spend the entire Sunday in my room to avoid Gavin and his anger issues.

"Paul, is that you?" asked a grim voice as I pushed the old noisy door open, entering the house. I rolled my eyes at his question. It was not like anyone else ever visited him here. The only visitor we ever had was Sue Clearwater who came once every week to drop in some groceries and prepared food to be eaten through the week and she always came on the weekdays when she knew Gavin was not at home and the few friends I had namely Bella and Jared knew that my house was out of limits when they wanted to meet me. It was either in the yard on a good day or somewhere else.

"Yeah" I answered shortly as I walked towards the kitchen to get myself something to eat. It had been a tiring long morning with a game of football on first beach with Jared and a few other boys from school and so food was one of the main things on my mind as of now. I grabbed a bag of chips that I could see lying around on the counter before passing through the living room on the way to my room.

"Paul, your friend what is her name… Stella or Ella or something had called yesterday to talk to you. I told her that you were out"

I stopped in my tracks as I heard his voice. Sudden anger flared through me but I ignored it. Getting angry was not the solution right now. At least one of us had to be calm to have a discussion and knowing Gavin that person had to be me.

"Her name is Bella and you did not bother informing me?" I asked raising my eyebrow turning to look at him as he put something in a suitcase on the living room couch.

He shrugged "I did not think it mattered"

"You did not think it mattered?" I glared at him in annoyance

"I am not your secretary and your 'friends' should know better than to call over here" he said with a sneer and unconsciously I took a step back in fear. I hated that he elicited such a response from me but I could not help it. I knew this look of his well that was right now on his face and over the years I had learnt what the consequences that came with this look were. A shudder passed through me as I thought of that day a few years back when he had locked me in the bathroom as a punishment when I had answered him back and despite of my crying and thrashing the door repeatedly, he had not opened it for hours together.

"Why are you packing?" I asked shifting on my feet nervously, changing the topic "Are you going somewhere?"

He gave out a sudden laugh that sounded more mocking than funny "Look at the luggage closely Paul"

I nodded my head slightly in confusion and started to look at what was being packed in the suitcase. My eyes widened in shock when I realized that these were my clothes, games, shoes and other belongings.

"The..se are my things" I managed to speak out still in shock. Why were my things being packed?

"Still the same stuttering idiot" he mumbled under his breath shaking his head and I grasped my hands tightly in anger.

"Why are you packing my things?" I shouted harshly

"Because you are leaving La Push" he said in a simple nonchalant manner as if he had not dropped such big life changing news on my head.

"What" I shouted in shock, my mouth wide open

He shook his head sighing "Did I forget to inform you?" "Anyways you remember my brother Kevin who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?"

I nodded my head hesitantly. Kevin Lahote was Gavin's younger brother and had lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since his college days. I had met him and his family which consisted of his wife and two sons both similar to my age, nearly twice in my life till date and once out of that was when I was hardly three and had no memory of it.

"He has agreed to let you stay with him for a few weeks till I can pack everything here and move there" he said with all his attention still on the packing he was doing.

"We are moving" I whispered confused and scared "Why?"

He looked at me with concern and for a minute I realized that this was probably the sanest conversation we had ever had which was also due to the fact that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the moment "Because it is time to move on. This place this house was your mother's dream never mine and I always knew that this was not where I wanted to settle down. Kevin has worked out everything for us over there. My work, your school, our house"

"But what about your current job" I shouted in frustration "My school?" "My friends"

He shrugged as if that was enough an answer.

I took my head in my hands in desperation. I did not want to leave La Push. I liked it here but did I even have a choice. I was only thirteen after all and it was not like I could live alone if Gavin decided to still leave La Push.

"No No No" I shouted in anger shaking my head "You can't do this to me. I don't want to leave" I pleaded "I like it here. I have my friends here"

"You will make new friends in Pittsburgh and the opportunities there are much more than here and you don't need to worry about all the other things. I have already spoken to your school and the formalities are being taken care of"

"But" I said thinking of anything I could say to stop this move from happening "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

I would have thought of something by now if only I had been given some time.

"It must have slipped my mind" he said shrugging "Imagine I came to your room this morning to check on you and saw that nothing of yours was still packed and you were out to god knows where. Luckily for you I am in a good mood today and so as a favor decided to pack your bags for you though now I can understand why you didn't do the packing" he said with a laugh

I looked at him in shock. Was he being serious right now? Was this all a big joke to him?

"Now if you have anything else to pack or do, you better do it soon. We have to leave for Seattle in an hour. You have a flight to catch" he said before turning and walking out of the room, leaving me there sitting on one edge of the couch with a confused expression on my face. An hour that is all I had left in this place that I had come to love, all because of his stupidity of forgetting to inform me of this. I would have thought of something, anything to stop him, convince him otherwise but now it was too late and I didn't think I had any choice left.

Without thinking much I picked up the phone that was lying on the centre table and called the one number I had by heart.

"Hello Bella" I said impatiently as I heard the phone being picked up from the other end

"Paul" she said and I could hear the blush in her voice "I was just about to call you"

"Can you come to my house right now?" I said in desperation

"Yeah of course" she said instantly as if she could feel my desperation over the phone "I will be right there"

I quickly cut the call after telling her bye before calling the next number on my list. He had been my best friend and brother in these last few years and no matter what the circumstances I just could not leave without telling Jared of this.

Our call was short with me talking and him listening. We decided to keep in touch through email and let one another know of what was happening in the other's life before he told me that he would miss me and La Push would not be the same without me and I repeated the same to him. Definitely the past few years would not have been the same without his almost at times annoying friendship.

Just a few minutes after I had cut the call did I hear a whistle call from outside which I recognized as Bella's call when she wanted to call me to the yard as there was no way she was coming inside the house when Gavin Lahote was still in here and she and I both knew this and so with heavy reluctant steps I once again walked out of the house.

"Paul" she said with a smile adorning her face, as I came in sight

"Bella" I said trying to be as normal as possible though I knew that my face had given it away. Everything was not normal and never would be again.

"I need to tell you something" she said blushing and looking at the ground

"I need to tell you something too" I said impatiently in worry

Her smile widened if possible almost as if she was expecting something to happen "You first"

I nodded my head taking a deep breath in "I am moving to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania"

"What" she said after a few minutes of silence, so softly that I almost didn't hear her. The expression on her face was unreadable and as I stared at her, I just could not figure out what she was thinking.

I nodded my head sighing "Gavin… I mean my dad has decided to move there. My uncle stays there and I am leaving today" I said running my fingers through my hair in frustration

"Today" she repeated in shock

"Yeah it was quite a shock to me too" I said with a small laugh though I knew it was not even the least bit funny

She nodded her head after a few minutes of silence and I could see the pain in her eyes. I so wished this would not have happened and that I could have continued living in La Push. I did not even mind living in this broken shack of a house if only it was in La Push.

"When will you be back?" she asked her voice heavy with tears that were attempting to fall and I could see her tightly clutch her hands together.

I shook my head "I don't know"

She just nodded her head playing with the hem of her blue shirt that looked possibly new.

"But we can talk on email" I said trying to be a bit cheerful "My uncle has a computer in his house. I will use that to email you. We will still talk everyday"

"It won't be the same" she whispered and I nodded my head in agreement. No it wouldn't be the same. It never would be.

"Paul" a shout came from the inside of the house "We have to leave"

"I need to go" I said my voice slightly shaky now

She nodded her head looking at the ground "I will miss you"

"Promise me you will e-mail me" I said almost as if my life depended on it

She nodded her head with tears falling down her eyes "I promise"

And with that I left her back in the yard and walked inside the house to see what my future held.

Bella POV-

I could not do it. I just could not do it. I could not tell him how I truly felt about him when I heard that he was leaving La Push and going. I wished that I could have told him. I wished that it would all have been a dream or even a prank but when I had seen him sit in the car and leave for Seattle I knew that this was reality and my heart had felt like it was shattering. He had left. My best friend and maybe something more had left with no guarantee of when he was returning.

I wiped the tears that were falling from my eyes as I walked back to go home all the way reassuring me that this was not the end. So what if we were in different states. We could still stay in touch. Yes maybe we would not see each other every day or even talk every day but that did not mean that our friendship had ended. No we would still be best friends and maybe I could even tell him my true feelings for him once he settles down there a bit.

I nodded my head taking a decision and walked back home to pretend to be as normal as possible. Nothing changed unless you wanted it to change and Paul and I were never going to change. I wanted to rush back home, sit on the computer and send him an e-mail but the rational part of me knew that he was not even in the flight yet and it would be a long time before he actually reached Pittsburgh and could check his mail and so I decided to wait.

The next few days were filled with only one thought. The thought of emailing Paul and every time my eyes fell on a clock I would think of what he would be doing at the moment. My mother and Sam worried about me but I reassured them and maybe myself too that I was fine. Nothing had changed and nothing would ever.

Instead I filled my time with finding about Renee and Charlie. The fact that I was adopted had come as a complete shock to me but after having several long conversations with both my mother and Sam I had realized that I was still their daughter and sister and a piece of paper really did not matter though I still wanted to find out about my birth mother and her husband and so I had decided to talk to Billy about this in the coming days. Even though I was Isabella Marie Uley I wanted to know about the first six months of my life as Isabella Marie Swan.

The rest of the time when I was not in school or doing homework was spent in researching about Pittsburgh on the net and typing emails before deleting them thinking of what I should say. Finally after four long days after him leaving I decided to write my first email and see if he would check it.

_Dear Paul, _

_How are you and how is Pittsburgh? I read that it is huge and terrifying. Is it actually so and if it is how are you coping up? I couldn't imagine living anywhere other than La Push though. Did you know Pittsburgh is 2241 miles or 3607 kms away from La Push?_

_Anyways has your school started? What is it like? Have you made any new friends or gone to sightsee somewhere? _

_I know I am asking too many questions but in all honesty I miss you and your company. Please write back soon. _

_Bella _

I pressed send before sitting back and crossing my fingers waiting for his reply in nervousness and excitement. His reply though came after a long wait of two more days.

_Dear Bella, _

_Pittsburgh is amazing. Did you know that it has 446 bridges and is known as the city of bridges? It is completely different from La Push but I have my cousins here so it helps. Yes school has recently started and it is huge with so many students compared to back home where everyone knew one another. I have made a few friends who are my Cousin Tim's friends and are of the same age as me and they did take me to see the city with them. We did all the usual touristy things like seeing Museums, Cathedrals and malls which host brands I had never even heard about before. It is like living in a dream with Pittsburgh's fast paced lifestyle, so all in all life is great. _

_How are you and how is everyone back in La Push? I miss you and everyone back in La Push too and sorry for the late reply I hardly have time to check my email._

_Paul_

I smiled as I read his email a few times. At least he was adjusting well and having a good time there though a part of me was jealous that he had no time left to talk to me anymore but I pushed that part back. So he was busy right now, it did not mean he would be busy always. Adjusting at a new place takes time and I had to give him that time.

_Dear Paul, _

_Wow… Pittsburgh does seem amazing and I am glad that you like it there. Everything here is the same old routine that it was. School is normal and we still go to First beach every day after school like we did before…_

_Anyways tell me more about your uncle and his family? _

_I will be waiting for your reply. _

_Bella_

I sent the email before sitting back on my chair and waiting.


	12. The beginning of a new chapter

Thank you Anchalee, Taylor9901, MammaNita4, brankel1, catgrl, Obsessedreader83, .7334 and sarae32 for your reviews.

Part III- Change

Chapter 1- The beginning of a new chapter

'_The only thing constant in life is change'_

_4 years later_

"Are you really sure about this?" asked Leah vulnerability and the lack of surety coating her voice, as she looked at me with doubt and even a tinge of hope in her eyes.

I rolled my eyes while giving her a genuine smile "A bit too late to ask that, isn't it?"

She reciprocated my smile with one of her own while her eyes were still cautious "I just don't want you to regret this in the future"

"Leah, I am not going to regret this and plus you both deserve this. I may never even come to use this" I said pointing towards the 'this' right in front of our eyes

"But are you…"

I interrupted her "Yes I am a hundred percent sure and my decision will not change"

She looked at me for a few seconds as if still waiting for me to change my mind before nodding her head and hugging me warmly saying 'thank you'. I instantly hugged her back whispering to her that I really wanted this for the both of them.

"We will never really be able to thank you for this, you know" whispered Leah holding onto my hand tightly.

"You don't need to thank me" I said in a firm voice "Honestly this is the best solution I could have come up with and if you still want to do something for me, name your firstborn daughter after me" I joked winking at her.

She gave out a small genuine laugh "As Jake answers for every question irrespective of what it is Sure Sure"

"So you ready to see your new first house together?" I asked after a few minutes of silence, nervously and anticipatorily.

"As ready as I will ever be" she said taking a deep breath and crossing her fingers

"What are we waiting for then?" I said in a teary joking voice as I led her towards her and Sam's new abode. We walked the short distance from the driveway to their, to be house in Forks, as I remembered the events of how I had come to be the owner of a completely unexpected house in the heart of the small town of Forks.

A few weeks after I had first found out the news of me being adopted I had gone to Billy to talk to him about what he knew of Charlie and Renee as in my opinion even if I was completely happy in my life I owed them that much to know about them at least. Billy and I had spoken for hours as he had told me everything there was to know of Charlie Swan ever since he was a child who played with Billy on the beach in La Push. He had showed me old photos of their childhood days, Charlie and Renee's wedding and even a few baby photos of mine including one clicked minutes after I was born which I had then asked if I could take back with me to which he had agreed. It felt like being in a time machine as I heard and almost imagined the stories Billy told me, some funny, some childlike innocent and some with not such a happy ending and I had not been able to stop myself from crying when Billy told me the events that had transpired the day when Charlie had died on duty. I may never have known the man but from the photos and memories that Billy had told me I knew that he truly had loved me in the short time that he had known of me. Billy had then started to tell me a few things about Renee too but I had stopped him from telling me more. She may have given birth to me and even if I gave her the benefit of doubt about her decision of leaving me, it did not change the fact that Allison's place in my life and heart would always be above Renee's and so after thinking on this, I had taken the decision to not know anything more than her name and I had conveyed the same to Billy to which he had agreed only telling me about Charlie henceforth.

As the months and then years passed I had almost forgotten about this conversation with Billy keeping only bits of it in the back of my mind but then a week after my Sixteenth birthday Billy had called me over, telling me that there was something important I was yet to know of.

He had then proceeded to tell me that the house that Charlie and Renee had lived in, in Forks that was originally his parents and had been passed down to him, according to the will that Charlie had left behind him now belonged to me as his daughter.

I had been shocked by the revelation and had protested refusing to accept the house. I had argued with Billy telling him that I was not even Charlie's biological daughter but Billy had told me that Charlie would have wanted me to live in his family home irrespective and if I chose to live somewhere else or settle somewhere out of La Push or Forks I could always sell that house and use the money for my education or career or in general life ahead. He had told me that Charlie had no other family or cousins to speak off and so since the past sixteen years Billy had been looking after that house and making sure to keep it clean and in good condition and he had assured me that this was not a decision I had to take on the spot. I could take all the time I wanted and he would continue to look after the house as he had done so for so many years.

I had been completely confused at what my decision should be. I knew of one thing though I was not thinking of college even though Allison, Sam and even Leah and Kim had told me that I should not just rule out the choice of college without thinking about it properly but in my mind I already knew that college was not something I desired from life but did I want to live in La Push or Forks my entire life?

I did not yet have the answer to that question and so what to do of the house was still at hold. For the next two weeks I had visited this house in Forks that Billy had managed to keep in extremely well condition despite of his physical limitation and I had got myself acquainted with this house and the room that had once been my nursery but I had still not been able to reach any conclusion of what my decision should be and in the end I had decided that I would take it day by day seeing what life presents in front of me. I was still sixteen and there was no need for me to hurry on anything as of now.

Though that thought too had been changed around three months back when I had found out that Sam and Leah who had been dating since the past five years were thinking of moving in together. Sam who had graduated high school last year was now working with Harry in his construction business with plans to open his own construction company one day and Leah had recently started college at the Peninsula College in Port Angeles to get a degree in Business Administration and so the both of them had decided that they were ready to move to the next step in their relationship.

I had jumped in excitement at their news and had sat and waited by their side as they had for days searched their options in La Push and Forks but it had been a failed cause as the houses that sat in their budget were not the ones they liked and the ones they liked were out of their budget. It had been a month after their tiring search had begun when suddenly out of the blue the idea of them living in this house, the one Charlie had left in my name had crossed my mind and the next day I had rushed to talk to Billy before offering the idea to Sam and Leah.

It had been another two weeks of yeses and noes before I had finally convinced Sam to just come and check out the house before taking their decision and as I had expected Sam had fallen in love with the house at first sight. He had then managed to convince a hesitant Leah and after a few minor changes in furniture, a fresh coat of paint and a few home improvements sponsored by Harry and Sue as a moving in gift, their house was ready for them to move in, in now any day and truly I could not have been happier for them.

"Wow" said Leah getting me out of my reverie. I turned to look at what she was looking at and even I was pleasantly surprised. Though the house was a modest three bedroom structure Harry's construction crew had done an amazing job with fitting the latest lightings and attaching a separate entrance to the basement of the house. The tree that had originally been planted right outside my room was now an elegant tree swing that could seat two people and a hammock too had been placed on the other side of the yard. The garage that had been old and partially broken was now completely repaired with a fresh coat of paint and with new roller doors that gave it a modernized feel and for a minute I did not even recognize that this had once been Charlie's house that I had seen often in the past weeks.

"It looks amazing" I said in awe staring at the outside of the house

She just nodded her head and I almost thought she was going to start jumping in excitement as I could feel the happiness radiating from her.

"Let's go see what my brother has done to the inside. Looking at the outside it is sure to be magical too" I added as she nodded her head and we walked the next few steps to the door.

As we turned the door knob to enter the living room, Sam who had not been told of our surprise plan to come visit suddenly turned from where he was working on a piece of furniture and stared at us in shock.

"Leah, Bella what are you doing here?" he asked before exchanging a guilty look with Leah "I wanted it to be a surprise Lee. I had thought that I will take you out for dinner before bring you back and showing you our new house. You spoilt it" he pouted and if he would have done this at home I would have surely made fun of him but right now all I could think of was that it was just so adorable the way he was looking at Leah.

"Sorry" said Leah with a playful smile that was trying to hide the tears of happiness falling from her eyes "I could not wait. It looks amazing though and you can take me out for dinner some other day but right now this moment is just perfect" she said before running into his arms as he opened them for her, cuddling her close to him and kissing her nose softly.

I stared at them for a minute or two as they whispered in one another's ears before I turned back and left the house knowing that they would be too busy to even notice my absence. This was their moment and just being there made me feel like I was an intruder intruding their space. I walked down the porch stairs as a pinch of longing and want seeped through my mind but I pushed it back. There was no time for such thoughts and feelings.

The next two weeks passed by rather quickly and now here I was today back in their house for their official housewarming party with a glass of soda in my hand looking at everyone around me as they mingled in their own small groups. Sam was standing in one corner with his arms wrapped around Leah's torso as they spoke to one of their school friends who I had often seen in passing. Embry, Jared, Jake, Quil and Seth were sitting in their own group in the other corner talking and laughing loudly and I had also caught the word 'bet' a few times in their conversation. No doubt they were betting on something or the other as wherever there was Jared there was betting. The adults were all cooped in up in their own group as they too laughed and spoke to one another and as my eyes passed by where they were sitting, suddenly my eyes fell on the only other alone sitting person in the crowd but her eyes unlike mine were staring continuously at the couple of the hour.

"Hey Em" I said as I sat next to Emily on the couch

"Bella" she said giving me a warm smile in return

"How have you been?" I asked her starting the conversation. Emily Young was Leah's first cousin on the mother's side and had lived on the Makah reservation her whole life but as she and Leah had been extremely close since they were kids I had seen Emily often growing up with her coming down to La Push frequently.

She sighed looking again at Sam and Leah laughing and I could see the longing and unhappiness in her eyes "I have been better" she said after a few minutes of silence

"Let me guess, Adam?" I asked hesitantly and she nodded her head sighing again. Adam was her on and off sort of boyfriend since she had been fourteen and honestly their relationship was always on the lines of 'it is complicated'. One week they were together, the next they were just friends and the week after that they were in an open relationship. So one could never guess what their current status was.

"Why can't I find someone like Sam?" she cried out after a few minutes "I attract all the wrong guys in life who run away from the word commitment"

I gave her an understanding nod muttering 'Tell me about it' as I patted her shoulder reassuringly "You will find your Sam, Em just have patience"

"I hope so too" she whispered and I stood up to go and talk to the other aloof standing person in the room. Why was she aloof now I had absolutely no idea?

"Kim" I said as she jumped at her place having not expected to see me standing so close to where she was standing, lost in her thoughts. I had seen her looking at Jared again and again though not in the normal adoring manner that she usually used when she looked at him. This was different. Something was wrong. Her eyes were filled with sadness and slight anger. My first thought was that maybe they had fought but Jared and Kim never fought. They were like those sickeningly sweet couples who cannot go a day without professing their love for one another and so having a fight and not talking to one another was pretty much out of question here so then why was Kim looking so upset and sad?

"All okay?" I asked hesitantly

She nervously nodded her head confirming my doubt that something was wrong. I opened my mouth to question her before stopping and looking around. There were a lot of people around us at the moment who could clearly hear us and knowing Kim she would never be comfortable talking about feelings and relationship in public and leaving the party midway would also not be that easy without a valid reason.

"Hey Leah" I said as a quick idea formed in my mind "Didn't you want cherries for the dessert?"

"Cherries?" she asked confused as I widened my eyes mentally indicating to her to play along.

"Cherries remember?" I said again as she suddenly nodded her head

"Oh yes how could I forget?" she said rather over dramatically and loudly making everyone stare at her in surprise making me groan.

"Leah, is everything okay?" asked Sue slightly worried

Leah opened her mouth to answer but before she could I interrupted her "Sue, there is no problem. Leah just wanted cherries. I will be right back with them" "Kim, you mind coming with me?"

Kim's face turned red as she knew very well why I had done this entire drama. She just nodded her head as every eye in the room turned to look at her.

"Great" I said cheerfully pulling her out of the house ignoring her protests of annoyance. She soon reluctantly sat in my truck which had been a birthday gift for my sixteenth birthday from my family and I drove the short distance to the local supermarket as the both of us sat in silence.

I parked the truck outside the building before turning and looking at Kim "Now spill"

She sighed heavily "You will not give up till I don't answer right?"

"Not really" I said unabashedly. We had been best friends for more than a decade. She should have known this by now.

She nodded her head once looking at her lap "It is Jared"

I gave her a 'that was obvious' look "I guessed that from the way you were looking at him. What happened?"

She was quiet for a few minutes as if she was framing her next sentence before she sighed again "So we were just talking the other day about the heavy topics you know like the future and stuff"

I nodded my head telling her to continue

"So Jared said that he wants to go out of Washington State for school after he graduates next year and being a year younger than him I will still be here in La Push and even after graduation what if I don't end up in the same school as him even after trying? I could end up on the other side of the country for all we know" she said frustrated

I nodded my head before looking at her, not knowing what to say ahead "What about long distance for the one year when you are still here and he is there hoping that after graduation you will attend the same school as him or even in the same city. You both are equally smart and there is a chance of getting into the same school whichever you both like"

She shook her head "It is not that easy. Long distance does not work"

"That is a very general statement, Kim. It depends from couple to couple"

"You and Paul did not work out" she said in anger before covering her mouth in shock "I am sorry. I did not mean to say that so crudely"

I shook my head knowing that the wounds of this had been filled a long time back "It's okay though there is a huge difference. Firstly Paul and I were never together. You and Jared have been with each other for four years now…"

She interrupted me "You were best friends though"

I nodded my head "We were but you know not every friendship can pass the test of time. As you grow older you come to realize and accept this and maybe I have already accepted this fact that our friendship did not pass the test of time and distance"

"I am sorry" she whispered knowing how much this realization of life and friendships had hurt me a few years back

I shrugged "It is okay. He was the one who dropped me like a hot potato. From my side he was still my best friend"

She nodded her head as my thoughts drifted towards what I considered the lowest period of my life so far. It had been just a few months after Paul's sudden move to Pittsburgh when my world had suddenly changed though now when I thought about it, it was not that sudden. I had been diligently sending emails to Paul telling him about even the most mundane things to happen in my life and La Push as for me a world where I was not talking to Paul Lahote was hard to imagine but from his side I knew that there was never much effort. The emails I sent were replied to after weeks always with the apology of being busy with football or homework or just going out with friends and coming back late and tired and the mails that came always felt half hearted as if it was a chore for him instead of something he enjoyed doing. I knew he was busy enjoying his new life but the fact that he thought that talking to me was a chore had hurt a lot but I had still ignored it. Some people take more time to adjust in a new place than others, I had convinced myself. I had still emailed him with equal fervor deciding that I was going to keep the friendship going irrespective of the effort from the other side but then nearly six months after he had first left La Push the replies just stopped coming. I waited for weeks but there was no reply to any of my mails that I had sent to him and that were when I had learnt that no friendship is formed in a day and similarly no real friendship breaks in only a day. It takes time for both to happen.

"Will you ever be able to forgive him?" asked Kim in a soft voice bringing me out of my thoughts

I shrugged "I don't know, depends on his reason for deciding to stop replying to my mails"

She nodded her head as I leaned my head to lie it down on her shoulder "I would have never forgiven him if I would have been in your place"

I nodded my head thinking back to the twelve year old girl who had cried for weeks because her best friend and crush had suddenly stopped talking to her changing everything she had once thought true. It had been so bad that Sam had even suggested or rather told me that he was going to go down to Pittsburgh, track him down and kick the shit out of Paul but I had refused. If he did not want anything to do with me, neither did I.

"It is all about effort, Kim. No relationship or even friendship can survive if there is not equal effort from both sides as if only one person is putting the effort to keep the boat afloat, one fine day he or she will get tired of doing it and will give up on the relationship and the person"

She nodded her head giving me a smirk after a few minutes of silence "It is weird you know"

"What is?" I asked in confusion

"That you give amazing relationship advice but are single in real life" she said with a smirk

I shrugged at my non- existent relationship status "Believe me, single people give the best advice"

"True that" she said nodding her head "So what should I do?"

I shook my head looking at her "I can't tell you that, Kim. That you and Jared have to decide but I can tell you this, you both need to talk about this as soon as possible. Not talking about it will just complicate the matter"

She nodded her head "Maybe you are correct"

She opened her mouth to say something else but before she could her phone rang with the ringtone she had reserved for Jared.

They spoke for a few minutes with Jared asking where she was and offering to pick her up once he found out her location with Kim agreeing knowing that their conversation was needed to be done as soon as possible to solve the doubts she was having. A few minutes later Jared's car drove down the road to where we were standing and with a last reassuring hug, Kim sat in the car.

I sighed as I made my way back to my truck before realizing that I would need to take back the cherries that I had so willingly offered to get and so I made my way into the supermarket.

I was just walking down the aisle concentrating on the cherries I wanted when I accidently bumped into a cold stone wall.

"I am sorry" I apologized taking a step back looking at the tall man with golden eyes, honey blond hair and pale skin standing in front of me.

'Golden eyes…. The Cullens' I thought as I immediately made the connection in my mind. Everyone on the res was wary of this family and hated them for a reason I had no understanding off. We had all heard the rumors of how their family was unusual and weird and so everyone just kept their distance from them but the man standing in front of me looked pretty normal apart from the glaring golden eyes and the fact that it looked like he wasn't breathing with his rigid body posture. Okay so he did look a bit different from the term normal.

"Jasper" said a soft voice as a woman with similar golden eyes, pale skin and caramel hair came to stand next to him "Have you taken everything on the list?"

"Yes Esme" he nodded his head giving me one last look before the both of them walked by where I was standing leaving me there with a slightly confused look on my face though I could not quite frame the reason for this confusion.

I shrugged shaking my head before continuing back on my way to get the cherries.


	13. From broken trucks to unexpected news

Thank you Taylor9901, sarae32, Arami Estigarribia, MammaNita4, .7334, Anchalee, jsmith84, brankel1 and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

Part III- Change

Chapter 2- From broken trucks to unexpected news

'Nicholas Sparks or another book by Jane Austen' I sighed heavily looking at both the books in each of my hand again weighing my option on which book I would like to read next in the immediate future. It was such a tough choice for a book lover like me on which book to pick out of all the abundance of great books placed in front of me and once again I contemplated buying both of these books that I had somehow managed to shortlist from the shelves.

I once again read the synopsis that had been printed on the back of the books deciding that both of these books were definitely intriguing enough and deserved a read and then with a quick nod of the head confirming my decision I proceeded towards Amber who sat at the checkout counter in this old small bookstore in Port Angeles that I had been a frequent visitor to since I was probably eight or nine, first with Allison who would bring me here once every month to get me acquainted with the joys of reading then with Sam who begrudgingly accompanied me because he was older and could drive and then recently on my own once I learnt how to drive and could travel till Port Angeles whenever I wanted.

"Hey Bella" she said as she saw me approaching the counter "Seeing you after long"

"Yeah I have been busy with school" I said with a small smile as I placed both the books on the counter for her to bill it "Is Charlotte adjusting well in elementary school?"

She gave me a fond smile as I asked about her daughter who had recently entered the first grade "Adjusting really well. She loves all the new things that she learns everyday and pulls me out of bed every morning in her hurry to get to school"

"Wow, I wish I was that excited for school" I said with a slight laugh remembering Charlotte as a toddler when she used to come to the bookstore with Amber everyday and I would often sit with her while I read and she played with her toys so that Amber who was a single mom could concentrate on her work and the clients that visited the bookstore she owned and ran.

"Trust me as you get older the fun element in life decreases and real life and bills to pay take priority" she said shaking her head typing in the computer in front of her "High school is a piece of cake in comparison"

"Yeah the grass is always greener on the other side" I said with a shrug. Obviously seeing the other 'grownups' I knew that being an adult with a job and a family to look after was much more difficult than being a high school teenager but then again problems at the present always seem bigger than they are or when looked back at in the future.

"So which books are you buying today?" she asked changing the topic and picking the books up to get them billed.

"A walk to remember and Northanger Abbey"

"You really love Jane Austen don't you?" she asked raising her eyebrow at the mention of Northanger Abbey.

I shrugged "What can I say. Her work speaks for herself"

She nodded her head agreeing "Yeah true"

She was quiet for a few minutes as I paid for the purchases before she opened her mouth again to speak "You were searching for a job right?"

I nodded my head "Yeah there was an opening at the Forks Diner for a waitress but honestly I am not too inclined to work there with the long tedious hours and the rowdy Forks High boys who are always there and don't know how to back down when I ignore their terrible attempts at flirting. Seriously that is more of a chore than actual waitressing" I said with a sigh thinking of Mike Newton from Forks High who just could not get the hint that I did not like him in that way and had asked me out a few too many times by now only to be told no although as politely as I could.

"What do you think about working here?" she asked hesitantly after a few minutes "I want to cut down my hours and I think this job will be to your liking…"

"I would love too" I said interrupting her with a huge grin albeit too cheerfully

"Great" she said almost sighing in relief "I will tell you your work profile, hours, salary etc etc though you already know not many apart from the regular clients visit here often"

I nodded my head as she started telling me everything I needed to know about working here, the work hours and days and what all would be expected of me from the job. She told me that her and her boyfriend were expecting a child and so in the new few months she would be cutting down on work and so would also need me to lock up at night at times. We spoke for a few more minutes before I assured her that I would be here early the next day to start my shift and turned to leave the store when I suddenly bumped into the person who was walking towards the counter from the opposite side.

I stumbled back rather suddenly and was about to lose my footing when two extremely cold hands came out and caught my arms firmly stopping me from falling.

I looked up with my eyes widened in shock to see the same golden eyes I had seen earlier the past week but they were not glaring at me this time around. In fact they were expressionless like a blank paper not giving anything away.

'Why were his hands so cold?' I pondered 'Almost like he had just removed them from the freezer after letting them rest in there for months'

He slowly steadied me on my two feet immediately withdrawing his extremely cold hands from my arms as if he had been burnt by the touch.

"Sorry" I mumbled almost incoherently, embarrassed at the fact that I had unknowingly bumped into the same person again just mere days after the first time though in all actuality it was hardly my fault this time around that he had been standing right behind me when I went to turn and that he was built like a stone wall. Yeah if anyone was to blame it was him.

He nodded his head slightly in a nonchalant manner but I could see tightness still present in his face muscles almost like he was afraid to open his mouth and speak knowing that the result of that would not be good which puzzled me.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence though he moved passed me to walk to the counter where Amber was sitting and I started walking towards the door. I faintly heard him tell Amber that his sister wanted a few books from there but I was out of hearing range by then to know the rest.

I slowly walked back to the truck seeing the sky for the first time in hours and realizing that hours had passed since I had come to Port Angeles. It was late evening now and the sun had already set making the narrow abandoned alley I was crossing look even spookier and darker than usual and I frowned realizing that I should not have waited for so long here when I was alone.

Suddenly I heard hooting and in fright turned to see a few drunken men sitting on their bikes on the other end of the alley and leering at me almost as if undressing me with their eyes. My breath quickened and I picked up my speed in an attempt to walk faster and reach my truck safely. I clutched my purse closer to me wishing that I had taken my pepper spray with me when I left from home. I thought of my options, it was late and there was no one out on the streets to hear if I shouted for help and there were four of them, even if they were drunk they did look strong and so my chances of fighting them and winning were low and they were standing in the way to the bookstore so it was not like I could turn back and go in there. The best I could do right now was ignore their presence and reach to my truck safely and as fast as I could.

I kept an eye on them from my peripheral vision and almost took a breath out in relief when I saw that none of them was moving towards me though they were still staring at me in a disgusting manner while they laughed about something making me feel dirty just by their look. I quickened my steps even more and as soon as I saw that my truck was in running distance I ran the last few steps quickly unlocking the door and jumping in, in a hurry to start the truck and leave the area ignoring the mocking laughs I heard in the background. It was not as important as the fact that I was safe now.

I rubbed my hands over my face in relief when I heard the usual loud roar this truck made when it started and without looking back I started driving it out of here, thankful that nothing bad had happened.

It was just a few minutes into my ride though that I realized that I had been too quick to speak as only half a mile into my ride with an even louder splutter and a final growl my truck took two jerking steps before giving away stopping right there on the middle of this dark deserted street.

"Fuck" I groaned loudly cursing my luck trying again to start this monster of a truck but failing badly as it refused to move even an inch.

"Stop panicking" I shouted loudly to myself when even after hitting mercilessly and using all my strength this truck did not start. I took deep breaths trying to think of what should I do now.

"Jake" I said suddenly as I realized he would definitely know what to do. This had been Billy's truck after all and Jake was the one to do my servicing and the one who made sure that my truck was in working condition as I was a complete dimwit when it came to cars and their parts. Yes he would know what to do.

I quickly removed my phone from my purse cursing myself again for not thinking of this earlier, only to find out that the battery had run out causing the phone to switch off.

"Shit how could I be this stupid" I groaned out. Allison must be going worried crazy and by now even Sam and Leah must have been alerted of my disappearance with the combined news of my phone being switched off and so by now everyone in La Push and in Forks who I knew must have been questioned about if they knew where I was. Gosh as much as I loved my family, sometimes it sucked to have such an overprotective family.

I took my head in my hands as I tried to calm myself enough to find a solution out when I heard a loud bang on the window.

I shuddered back in fear and with quivering hands looked up only to see one of the Cullens standing by my window. He was the same one I had bumped into in the bookstore a few minutes back before all this mess had happened.

'Jasper' the caramel haired woman had called him if I remembered clearly

Nervously I rolled down my windows, slightly afraid and cautious but even relieved that this was a known face. Everyone knew his family in Forks. His father was a doctor for heaven's sake so what were the chances of him being an axe murderer right?

"Any problem?" he asked in a concerned tone

I nodded my head hesitantly "It won't start" "And my phone has run out of battery" I added as an afterthought.

He widened his eyes a bit in shock before sighing "Umm I am no mechanic but if you want I can lend you my phone to make a call and ask someone to pick you up or if you prefer I can give you a ride till Forks as that is where I stay. I have seen you around in Forks. So I assume you stay there too?"

I nodded my head "I stay in La Push, the Quileute reservation"

He did not say anything for the next few minutes leaving me alone with my thoughts as I thought about my options. I could use his phone to call Sam and ask him to pick me up as calling Allison would just freak her out more in this situation making her drive till here risky and none of the others could drive yet. I could ask Leah but then again Sam would find out and it would be the same thing so calling Sam was it.

'Wait' I said abruptly in my mind realizing a very important fact I had earlier neglected. Port Angeles was more than an hour drive away from the reservation and even if Sam drove fast breaking all the speed limits he would still take at least thirty to forty minutes to reach here.

Was I willing to sit her all alone in my truck for so long? But then again what if Jasper had just offered to give me a ride out of courtesy and had hoped I would choose to call and ask someone else to pick me up?

I sighed internally. Anything was better than waiting in a not working truck for forty minutes even if it was an awkward drive back.

"If you don't mind can you drop me till Forks" I said nervously "I will manage something from there on" I said managing to stop myself from adding that I knew he was not allowed on the res because of some old superstitions. It could be a touchy subject for his family for all I knew.

He nodded his head "I offered didn't I?" he said with a small smile as I too gave him a courteous smile in return.

"My car is parked there" he said pointing towards a lone vehicle I could see a short distance from here "You can leave your truck here and get it collected tomorrow or so"

I nodded my head, taking my purse and books before exiting and locking the truck. We walked side by side towards his car that I could now recognize as a BMW convertible.

I looked at him with slight shock and disbelief before looking back ahead. Who in their right mind drove a BMW convertible in somewhere like Forks?

"Sorry" he said chuckling, probably seeing my reaction "It is my sister's. She is a bit ostentatious when it comes to cars"

I snorted lightly at the 'bit' before nodding my head in answer "Yeah you don't generally see such cars in Forks"

He shrugged "All of us are a bit crazy behind speed so it works for us"

"Yeah" I asked trying to remember what all I had heard from the rumors mills about the Cullen family. Their father Carlisle or something similar was a doctor and was working at the Forks hospital. He was married and had five adopted children who were all the same age and in high school.

"Must be fun to have so many siblings of the same age?" I said looking at him

He nodded his head not looking surprised at the fact that I had known this about his family though he must have already known that when his family had moved to town it was all anyone in Forks or La Push could talk about for months.

"It is but it can drive our mother crazy at times" he said with a chuckle shaking his head as I too smiled at that.

"Oh I am Bella Uley by the way" I said stupidly realizing that I had not even told him my name yet

"Jasper Hale to your service" he said with a surprising southern drawl

I looked at him in confusion "I thought your family shifted here from Alaska"

He slowly nodded his head "I am originally from Texas though, was adopted later on in my preteen years"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude" I said quickly and apologetically knowing well that not everyone was comfortable talking about them being adopted, being adopted myself. Though now almost everyone on the res knew that Allison had adopted me, I had only spoken about it to Sam, Embry and Kim freely ever.

He just nodded his head as we walked the rest of the distance in silence. Upon reaching the car I slowly slid in while he did the same.

"Do you mind if I keep the windows rolled down?" he asked wearing his seatbelt

I shrugged in reply as he rolled down the windows and I felt the tension on his face lessen a bit. What was that about?

He started driving out of Port Angeles while I nervously played with the hem of my shirt having nothing else to do and too cautious to ask any more questions and put him in a difficult spot when it could be avoided. I had a feeling he did not like talking about his family and I could relate to it. We were technically just strangers who had just met.

"Umm" I said hesitantly after a few minutes into the drive "Can I use your phone to make a call? My family must be worried"

"Sure" he said passing his phone for me to use and I dialed the number I had memorized years back waiting for someone to pick up on the other side.

"Hello" said an impatient voice

"Mom, it's me Bella" I said as I heard shuffling on the other end before I heard a loud shriek

"Isabella Uley, where are you?" she shouted loudly on the phone. I could hear the anger and worry in her voice "Why is your phone switched off? I called Amber she said that you had already left from the store"

"Mom calm down" I said rolling my eyes knowing that she would have already called Amber and asked her my whereabouts when my phone was coming switched off "I am okay. My truck broke down and I had forgotten to charge my phone before leaving. I am on my way back now. I will reach Sam's house in around 40 minutes"

She gave out a sigh of relief before her voice turned to worry again "Wait how are you coming if your truck broke down?

In the background I could hear her shush Sam and tell him that she was talking when he was demanding for the phone from her making me chuckle at their antics despite of the tense situation we were in.

"You know Dr. Cullen? His son Jasper was in the bookstore too. He is giving me a lift"

I heard a deep breath on the other end "Okay come back safe. We will talk after you come back"

I replied in affirmative before cutting the call and giving the phone back to Jasper.

"Your mom seems really protective of you" he said after a few minutes of silence

I nodded my head with a small smile "Yeah, my family is a bit overprotective of me I guess and though I like it, it has its downsides too"

"I can understand. In my family there is absolutely no privacy. If my brother Edward or his girlfriend Alice gets a hint of something suddenly everyone in the family knows about it" he said with a look of frustration on his face.

I chuckled at his expression realizing that it was very easy to talk to him. Conversing with him was almost effortless.

"That's sad" I said with a laugh as he turned and gave me an annoyed look making me laugh harder. I soon started to look outside the window but the smile on my face never left.

"Where should I drop you?" he asked as soon as we passed the 'Welcome to Forks' sign board. I quickly gave him the directions to Sam and Leah's house and within minutes we were driving into their driveway.

"Here we are" he said parking the car as I turned to open the door and get out of the car. I could see the lights on inside the house and my mother's car parked outside. I rolled my eyes knowing that I was going to get a scolding from almost everyone inside, wait cut the almost even Leah was going to be as angry as the others that my phone was switched off and I was much later than I was supposed to be back.

"Thank you" I said turning to look at Jasper

He shrugged "My pleasure"

My face turned a little red from blushing as I turned to walk towards the house and I heard Jasper's car leave the driveway.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Hey wassup" said Kim excitedly as she entered my room where I was lying on my bed applying nail polish on my toenails "What plans for the summer?"

I rolled my eyes "I am grounded for the entire summer like I can make any plans"

My stint to the bookstore a few weeks back had caused me to be grounded for the entire summer and no matter how much I apologized it was not getting lifted anytime soon. The only thing I was allowed was to go to work every day and then back and my only saving grace was that I had seen Jasper a few times since. Apparently his sister Alice loved reading and always sent him to get the books and he had become a decent friend in these past few weeks that he had visited the bookstore.

She chuckled "Serves you right for ditching me and getting a ride from one of the hottest guys from Forks"

"Bitch" I smirked looking at her "You have a boyfriend"

She shrugged "So I have eyes and looking from afar is completely harmless you know"

I rolled my eyes "So how come you decided to grace my presence today?"

She gave me a look of fake shock at my attempt at sarcasm "And here I thought you liked me"

I rolled my eyes throwing the pillow lying beside me at here which she caught with a laugh.

"So I have news for you" she drawled out in a sing song voice

"What news?" I asked curiously

"So Jared got a surprising call last night"

"And" I asked impatiently

"A certain someone informed him that even though he loves Pittsburgh" she said exaggerating on the word love "his words not mine, something inside him is telling him to return and so he is coming back"

"Paul" I said in shock with my mouth open, understanding the meaning of her words

She nodded her head "He has been emancipated. He called up Jared to ask him if he knew someone who could fix his house back for him. The same one he lived in when he lived here"

"Wow" I said in shock

She nodded her head looking equally surprised "It is big" "So how are you taking this?" she whispered after a few minutes of silence.

I nodded my head "I knew it was always a possibility you know" "So how is everything between you and Jared?" I asked changing the topic knowing that I did not want to talk about Paul and his impending return right now. I needed time to comprehend it all.

She soon started talking about her and Jared and I was glad that she did not question me on this for the rest of the night. I would have had no answer if she would have asked me anyways.

After talking for some more time she soon left to go back to her house and after dinner and doing a few chores I went to bed.

The next time I woke up though my entire body ached and I could faintly hear my mother tell someone that I was burning up.


	14. The fever of change

Thank you Taylor9901, Arami Estigarribia, sarae32, MammaNita4, Loveforgreeneyes, 321, brankel1, .7334, Anchalee and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

A/N: Not much happening in this chapter but I felt that it was important for the coming chapters.

Part III- Change

Chapter 3- The fever of change

Pain…..

Severe pain spread through my body….

My body hurt…. It felt like I sitting in the middle of a blazing fire burning from every side with no alternative, no way to escape left. The fire was killing me harshly though slowly and I groaned out loud hitting the air around me in agony, trying to stop this fire within me from spreading.

Every inch of my mind, every pore of my skin hurt as if the bones in my body were breaking and rejoining within mere seconds, all 206 of them and the only thing I could do was grip tightly to the blankets that were lying on top of me and cry out in pain while I waited for this tornado of pain to pass.

What was happening to me?

Why was I in so much pain?

From what I had heard the others say I had a fever but I had been ill before, I had had fevers before. It had never hurt this much ever than what was wrong with me this time around.

I could feel myself go in and out of consciousness. The minutes in consciousness difficult to remember and shorter in comparison but I could feel people around me, trying to talk to me, taking my temperature to see if my fever had lessened and giving me medicines in the same vain attempt to get my body back to normal.

I was shaking from the little toe of my foot up till the chattering of my teeth and I just couldn't find out a reason of this sudden intense shaking that was intensifying with every passing minute. I had been covered with several blankets in a way to make me feel better but I wanted to shout at them to let me be free. I felt constricted, the layers on top of me felt like a heavy burden pushing me down. I could feel huge sweat droplets stick to my skin and I craved for a shower. I craved to be clean. I craved to be free. An urge to be far away from here was torturing me.

With my eyes closed I could see the woods around our house in my mind. The luscious green foliage pulled me towards them and I could smell the earthy musky scent of rain around me. I could imagine myself running through these woods passing these same trees and all I could feel was freedom and happiness. I wanted to be free. I wanted to be happy. Why was I locked up in this room?

I had never been much of an outdoor person before. I preferred being inside but being confined in these four walls felt suffocating. I wanted to touch the green grass outside. I wanted to feel the feel of it under my toes with the wind whipping itself on my face leaving behind its coldness. The thought of it felt rejuvenating as if all my troubles would disappear through it.

I could feel the time pass but in this state of mind I had no idea of when was day or when was night. Whenever I regained consciousness for however short of a period it was that was day and the rest was night and I craved to wake up but my eyes still refused to open.

"Sis, please wake up" said a hoarse voice almost on the verge of tears. I recognized the voice. It was Embry, but Embry never cried. Why did his voice feel so sad? I willed my eyes to open but they refused to budge. I felt so tired and restless and sleep pulled me in it again.

"This is not funny Bella" shouted another strained voice the next time I 'woke up'. I knew this voice. It was Kim. Why was she sounding so upset and angry?

"Bells please wake up. Don't do this to us" said Jake trying to grip onto my extremely hot hands making me wince in pain. Why were my hands so hot? And why did it pain when someone touched me? I pulled my hand roughly out of his grip in an attempt to get away from the coldness of his hands.

"Sam" he shouted "She moved. Get Sue" I could feel him leave the chair beside my bed and run out of the room. Where was he going? Why was he calling Sue? How much time had passed since I had first lost consciousness?

My thoughts were all I could think about, all I could concentrate on. Every childhood memory of mine filtered through my mind, learning to ride the bike, celebrating Christmas, Easter and Halloween, going to birthday parties or listening to stories at the bonfire held on first beach. It felt as if all this, parts of my past were miles away, far out of my reach. I tried to hold onto it but just like Sand that cannot be contained they kept falling out of my palm much to my disappointment and annoyance.

I could hear every voice around me and could smell and hear everything near me with much more clarity than ever before. The birds were chirping on the tree outside my room window whispering to one another in a language only they could understand. I could hear the rustling of the leaves and the sound of the rain falling from the sky harshly on the ground beneath it. Our neighbor's dog Roxy was barking continuously in her house just down the road. When had my hearing become this good? How could I possibly hear all of this?

I could smell my mother in the living room below. She smelt like freshly baked cookies. There was someone else with her though, a female I could tell by the scent of fresh flowers. They were talking in whispers in the living room. I tried concentrating on their conversation and was surprised when I could actually hear them.

"Sue, do something" cried out my mother "Why is she not waking up? What are the test results saying?"

She was crying. I could hear it. I wanted to 'wake up' from whatever state I was in but my body refused to cooperate. It felt like my bones were still breaking and rejoining and every inch of my skin still pained with the shakes only increasing.

I could now hear the other person answer. It was Sue I could tell from the voice.

"Nothing" she shouted loudly frustrated "There is nothing in her tests that explains the pain she is feeling or why she is unable to regain consciousness"

"Then why is this happening to her?" asked Allison as my body forced me to tune out and a loud scream escaped my lips.

I was burning again. I had never felt this heated in life before. Using all my body strength I pushed the blankets away from me. The will to run out was stronger than ever now. The woods, the birds, the animals in these woods were all calling to me but I was stuck to this bed in this suffocating room.

"Mom" said another voice entering the living room, Sam. "I think we should take her to the Forks hospital immediately. We are wasting time here trying to treat her at home"

"Sam" said Sue in a stern voice "You know that we Quileute's don't prefer to go to Forks because of its association with Dr. Cullen. I have been working in the tribal clinic since the past twenty years. We are also equally equipped and Dr. Cameron has been coming to check on her every few hours. We have not found any reason for her symptoms yet but we are trying our best"

"This is ridiculous" shouted Sam and I could hear him pacing the living room floor "Mom, you really believe this shit?"

"Language Samuel" chastised Allison "Dr. Cameron and Sue are doing their best. We need to trust them"

"I don't believe this" scowled Sam "You know what I am out of here"

I heard the banging of the front door as Allison and Sue continued with their conversation in the living room with me concentrating back on my thoughts as my thoughts were the only thing that resembled peace and comfort at the moment.

I played every childhood memory and every memory in which I was having fun again and again in my mind letting the time pass, taking away my focus from the fever that was trying to engulf me in it.

It could have been hours or even days when I finally felt like the fire within me had diminished. The shaking had reduced creating a new urge within me. The urge to go outside, to be with nature and it seemed like I just could not let this urge be. I had to do what it said.

I willed my eyes to open and as they slowly complied, I blinked a few times in an attempt to get them adjusted to the surroundings. I was in my room, the white ceiling a proof of it. I roughly pushed the blankets that were covering me as I tried to get up from my bed. I was tired but hungry and even thirsty but even more than that I was confused. I felt normal, not sick, not dying but normal. I touched my forehead checking to see if I still had a fever and was shocked to realize that I was still burning up but even with the fever something within me told me that I was fine as if it was normal to be this 'hot'.

I got up from the bed smelling the air around me a few times relying solely on instincts and was surprised to hear every small or big sound coming from miles away. I could hear everything no matter where the source of the sound was or how minute it was. I covered my ears in pain forcing the sounds to just vanish. I wanted to go back to being normal instead of whatever freak my nameless illness had made me.

"Bella" said Sam as he entered my room and saw me standing on the hard floor with my hands covering my ears. There was a shocked expression on his face that soon turned to anger.

"Why are you out of the bed? You need to rest. Go lie down again" he said sternly as if he was talking to a five year old.

I growled loudly. Wait… Did I just growl? Humans can't growl. This was more of an animalistic growl.

He looked at me in shock with his eyes widening before he straightened himself again "See you need rest. I am going to go call Sue" he said before taking a step ahead to touch my forehead and I instantly took two steps back.

"I am fine" I spat out in sudden anger. Why was I so angry? This was a simple conversation. Why was I reacting like this? The rational part of my mind was trying to be calm and patient but another bigger part of mine was angry and wanted to lash out, angry at Sam for trying to treat me like a baby. I was not a child. If I said I was fine I was fine.

Without thinking about it I took two steps ahead to leave the room. I needed to go out. I could feel it within my bones that something major something catastrophic would happen if I didn't leave the house right now. My shaking was increasing with every step that I took ahead.

"Where are you going?" he asked stopping me with his hand

"First beach" I gritted out, saying the first thing that entered my mind. I just wanted to be out. I did not care where I went as long as it was out of here.

"What" he shouted angrily making me growl again "You are in no condition to go to the beach. You need to be resting"

"I am not a Kid, Sam" I shouted shaking. My palms were sweating and I could feel the anger roll down my skin.

He stared at me open mouthed in shock, the both of us knowing that I had never spoken to him or anyone for that matter ever in this tone. I was far gone beyond being sensible at the moment. The anger within me was crawling and spreading its legs again and my feet were pulling me to the woods outside.

"Look at the way you are shaking" he said shaking a bit too I noticed "You need a doctor"

I growled at him again. Who was he to decide that I needed to be checked?

"I am going out" I said through gritted teeth as I started walking out before he could stop me. I could hear him shouting behind me as he used his phone to call Allison to come back home but I did not care at the moment. My feet were pulling me towards something and I needed to leave or I knew that I would regret it.

I roughly pushed open the backdoor breathing in the scent of the woods and instantly calmness pushed over me almost like I was home. I had just taken two steps ahead when I heard Sam's voice again.

"She has lost it, Mom" he was talking on the phone standing in my room on the first floor "I am telling you she growled. Yeah you come back as soon as possible. I am trying to stop her from leaving the house. I will call Dr. Cameron also"

I started shaking again. This shakes bigger than any previous ones. How dare he talk about me like this? I could feel the anger within me rising when suddenly I fell to the ground in pain. More pain than I had ever felt before in life. If I had felt like my bones were breaking and rejoining before now I knew that they actually were. I could feel it in every inch of my skin. I tumbled into the woods as I tried to scream but nothing came out.

I closed my eyes as the burning intensified and I could hear voices shout for me as I lay behind a tree in a crouched position hoping that the pain would subside. I wanted to shout for them to come here and help me but it was futile as only animalistic whines came out of my mouth.

And then a few minutes later with a final surge of heat passing through my entire body and a final bout of pain a humongous growl left my body. I took a breath of relief as I felt all the pain that I had been feeling disappear from my body.

Slowly I opened my eyes back again as I tried to get myself up from where I was lying down on the ground. Somehow I felt different, warmer and shock covered my face when my eyes that could now see everything much clearer and far more distant than humanly possible, looked down to see paws.

'Paws' I screamed loudly in shock only to emit a loud howl from my mouth.

I had paws. How was this possible? Had my illness somehow turned me into a dog or wolf or whatever kind of animal I was? Was this some chemical experiment gone wrong? Had I been injected by something while I was ill?

Wait no that is not possible. My family loves me. They would never let something like this happen to me.

Then why did I have paws?

With slow and completely new for me movement I got up from my crouch like position and looked down one again at my paws. I tried lifting them and was surprised to see them move. I tried walking with these new paws and with one steady action I was walking towards my house.

I needed answers as to why I was suddenly an animal and for that I needed to find someone who could answer my questions. Was I always going to remain an animal from now on, if something like this was even possible in the first place? Was I dreaming? It did not feel like a dream though.

I could feel the human Bella inside the exterior of an animal. My thoughts were still mine but my body was of an animal now. I felt confused and disoriented.

I slowly walked in my new form towards my house and stood at the edge under a huge tree seeing my mother, Sam, Embry and Sue call out my name as they searched for me and called people from their phones.

"Embry, did Jacob find her?" asked Allison in a worried tone

He shook his head "He searched the entire First beach. She is not there. Kim and Jared are going around in his car to see if she is somewhere on the road to the beach"

"Where did she go, then?" cried out Allison

"I told her to lie down again" growled Sam shaking a bit

Why was he shaking? Was he coming down with the same thing as me?

"Sam, are you okay?" asked Sue looking at him making all the others look at him too "Are you coming down with the same thing as Bella?"

Sam shook his head "No I am okay. Let's just concentrate on finding Bella right now"

Embry and Sue left the house to go search for me while Sam spoke to Leah on the phone and Allison was looking outside the window with an unreadable expression of sadness I had never seen on her face.

I took a step ahead towards her. I needed to tell her that I was here. I opened my mouth to speak as a howl came out of my mind making her jump at her place.

"Did you hear that Sam?" she said as she turned to look at him "When did wolves start coming this close to houses?"

Sam said something to her in reply but my mind was far away by then. Sadness engulfed me. I could not go in front of anyone like this. I was in the form of an animal. The realization that they would get scared of me hit me like a ton of bricks.

And then against my will I ran in the opposite direction back in the woods.

I was a fast runner I realized as I ran through the woods at a speed almost matching the wind. It was elating and freeing and I relished in these few minutes of pure bliss. I ran through the trees as my new improved eyesight took in the visuals around me and my hearing told me of what all animals and birds were close to me. I could not hear any human voice though and I concluded that I was far away from any other humans now.

Maybe it was better this way. I would never be able to go back to my family in this form. They would not recognize me and I had no way to make them understand that I was Bella.

No I could not see the fear on their face when they came across me. My mother, my brothers, my friends afraid of me, this thought sent chills through my body.

No I would live in the woods far away from humanity from now on.

I don't know for how long I ran in the direction this animal form of mine chose but then suddenly my feet stopped as I saw a lake at a short distance and the urge for water made itself known.

I walked on my four paws towards that lake in an attempt to drink some fresh water and slowly lowered myself down, still amazed to see how this exterior body complied.

I drank a little water from the lake relishing at the coldness of it as it touched my tongue and then when I was completely filled I took a step back to see my reflection in the clear water.

I was huge, bigger than any dog. I was almost the size of a horse. My fur was white, the color of snow and was extremely shaggy. I had a muzzle and a mane and I used my paws to touch it and see how it felt. I then tried to touch the tail that I now had on my body and went around in circles for a few minutes laughing in my mind at my stupidity.

I was a wolf I realized as I took in every inch of my new form, a white she-wolf.

I spent a few more minutes analyzing my new form and abilities before my mind started asking the same question of how did I become this and what now? Was I supposed to live like this the rest of my life? Would I never be able to see my family again?

I felt warm tears on my fur as I walked towards exactly nowhere. I had no destination in mind and I had never felt this disheartened and aloof in life. I was a wolf without a pack and this thought made me whine in sadness.

I walked for a few more miles before my hackles rose suddenly alarming me to danger around. A sweet sickly scent burnt my nose and my animal instincts went into overdrive mode.

'Kill' 'Enemy' shouted my instincts from within me and I crouched down in attack position refusing to go against my wolf instinct. If I wanted to survive in this life of an animal I needed to trust my instincts.

No sooner had this thought had crossed my mind when I saw a man like figure approach me from the other side.

'A man not animal' I thought out in confusion. Why did my wolf self think this was a threat?

I almost lost my crouch when the sickly sweet stench returned making me growl out loud.

'Enemy' 'Kill' repeated my instincts in a forceful tone forcing me to follow not caring to see the face or the look of confusion on the man's face. My wolf saw him as an enemy, an enemy that had to be destroyed at any cost.

I was about to pounce when suddenly a voice stopped me in the tracks

"Bella, it's me Jasper"


	15. Learning how to be a shape shifter

Thank you MammaNita4, sarae32, Arami Estigarribia, .7334, Taylor9901, brankel1, catgrl and the guest reviewer for your reviews. They mean a lot to me so really thank you and for taking the time out and reviewing.

A/N: Also the reason how Jasper recognized Bella is not mentioned in this chapter but will be mentioned in one of the coming chapters.

Part III- Change

Chapter 4- Learning how to be a shape shifter

I was about to pounce when suddenly a voice stopped me in the tracks

"Bella, it's me Jasper"

'Jasper' I thought in confusion as my front paws halted midway from where they were about to pounce at my prey. I took a look of concentration at the person standing in front of me, for the first time since I had smelt this putrid, nauseating smell associated with this person.

Tall, Honey Blond Hair, Golden eyes, Pale… Yep this was Jasper. But what was he doing here, so deep in the woods, far away from town and why did he smell so terrible all of a sudden?

I felt a wave of calmness move over me at my realization of Jasper's identity and I looked around me in shock and curiosity to know from where this exterior calmness emerged. The extra sharp eyes of my she wolf looked left and right trying to find out this new threat as she let out a low growl, angry at being denied the chance to rip apart her enemy, the one she considered a threat. She wanted to pounce and finish the enemy but I refused to oblige. This was Jasper. I knew him and even though I didn't know why all of sudden he was my enemy I at least owed him a chance to explain. Also the body may be a she wolf's but the mind still belonged to Bella Uley and I was definitely not willing to give full control to my new found animal side.

I looked again at Jasper who was standing at a distance with his hands raised up almost in a defensive position and I felt another wave of calmness spread over me, instantly making me lose my attacking crouch.

Was Jasper the one to spread this weird calmness? But how is this possible. No Human can do that. Then how was he doing this?

With slow careful steps, Jasper started to move towards me and again without understanding why a huge threatening growl left my mouth as the hackles on my back rose again and my instincts shouted at me to 'attack' and 'Kill'.

I stared at him in shock, too confused by my own reaction. Why was Jasper a threat? He was not a predator who could cause harm to the wolf nor did he have a gun to hunt me down, then why was the wolf reacting so harshly to his presence? And more importantly why did he smell so sickly sweet and disgusting? He had always smelt good. His perfume was a mixture of a woody and citrus scent and I had always admired the fragrance he carried with him then what had changed all of a sudden in a span of one illness?

"Bella darlin" he said softly in a calming voice "I can feel the inquisitiveness and confusion radiating from you. I know you have a lot of questions and I am ready to answer them but please can I take one step towards you. I will not harm you I promise"

He stood at his place in a completely defensive position as he waited for me to answer. My animal instincts or my she-wolf as I had come to term her as was completely against the idea. She did not trust Jasper and his promise meant nothing to her. She wanted to finish the job and search a cave for herself to stretch her paws and rest but very slowly and carefully, ignoring my instincts I nodded my head. To understand why he was my enemy I needed to have a bit more information and a part of the human side of me still trusted Jasper no matter what my animal instincts said.

He breathe out a sigh of relief at my nod and started taking slow steps towards me making sure that I knew that he was no threat with his actions. I still stood on my paws though keeping a constant vigilant eye on him in case of any quick sudden movement.

Finally when he was standing right in front of me, he knelt down a bit to come to my height.

"Do you know what you are?" he asked in a sympathetic tone "I am almost sure that you don't know what I am. Hence the question"

I looked at him in confusion. What did he mean by 'What I am?' Did he mean the wolf and more importantly how had he recognized that it was I who was trapped in this body of the female wolf? No one in their right minds first thought when they saw an animal was 'oh I know this person disguised as an animal. We have met before'

I chuckled at my own ridiculous joke which came out like a snort from the wolf's mouth before concentrating back on my thoughts.

And what did he mean by what he was? He was a human right or at least that was what he looked like but then again I thought I was human till a few hours back.

I had too many questions in my mind at this point and I was far beyond the point of coherence. At this moment I had just accepted that everything was possible. If a teenage girl can change into a wolf without it being a hallucination or nightmare, then yeah I could believe that anything was possible.

After a few minutes of not getting a nod or a shake of the head by me, Jasper nodded his head with a sigh "I guess we should sit down. This is going to be a long conversation"

Hesitantly I sat back on my paws as he too sat facing me with the same look of sympathy and understanding on his face ready to begin whatever he had to say to me.

"I don't know how to say this so I am just going to rip the band aid for you. You are a werewolf or a shape shifter to be precise as you don't need the full moon to phase, that means to change form. You can phase whenever"

I stared at him in shock and disbelief as he finished what he had to say. Seriously! This was the best he could come up with. Shape shifters were a part of the mythical world. Fictitious characters created to give pleasure and thriven the imagination of children like fairies or wizards. They had absolutely no connection to the real world whatsoever.

He shook his head again "I am not lying. How else would you explain this?" he said pointing towards me

'Maybe I have gone crazy and I am in some mental ward hallucinating all of this' I thought sardonically

He took a deep breath almost in a pretentious manner like it was not needed "The supernatural world does exist, Bella. I know that it is a hard pill to swallow but it is the truth"

'But I was not bitten?' I shouted in my mind in anger. Didn't you need to be bitten to become a werewolf? At least that was what the movies showed.

He gave me a confused look "Feel that again. The only thing I could get was anger"

I reciprocated with my own confused look. What did he mean by 'feel that again'? Really he was weirding me out right now but then again I was a wolf at this moment and so my opinion on weirdness rarely counted.

'How did I become this' I shouted in my mind at the top most volume I could muster

He chuckled slowly shaking his head "I am glad I am not a mind reader. Poor Edward, I sometimes pity the guy, for how loud your emotions were I am sure your anger filled voice would have given him a headache"

I looked at him in confusion. Did he mean his brother Edward could read minds? But that was just not possible.

He sighed again "Okay enough with me confusing you with more information. Now when I had first woken up a part of the supernatural world, my first thought had been how did I become this. So maybe you are thinking the same thing"

I nodded my head hesitantly. What did he mean by 'he was a part of the supernatural world'?

He nodded his head taking a deep breath "I don't know much about it but it has something to do with your legends"

'Legends' my ears peaked up at this one word. The Quileute legends that I had heard so often filtered through my mind as random words entered and exited the space of my mind begging to be looked at.

'Taha Aki' 'Spirit Warrior' 'Sharing a body with a wolf' 'Shape shifters to protect the tribe'

'Fuck' I thought loudly as my eyes widened in shock. But how was this possible. These were just stupid legends told to children to keep them out of the woods at night and create fear in their mind. They were not real. This was just not happening.

A childhood memory of mine seeped through my mind. Paul and I were around seven or eight when after a bonfire of listening to the legends being recited by Billy, we had decided to test this for ourselves and see if we could spot the shape shifters and cold ones in real life. The next night after telling our families that we were camping out in my backyard and waiting for them to fall asleep, with the help of a torch we had gone into the woods behind my house, shouting and screaming every time we heard the rustling of the leaves or any other minute sound caused by nature. Finally after roaming around the woods for more than an hour and finally accepting that we were lost, our tired selves had decided to sit over there under a tree instead of roaming around anymore. I couldn't remember how with all that fear I had fallen asleep but the next time I had woken up I was in my bed and my mother was staring at me with a livid look on her face. Apparently she had come to check on us at night and when she found us missing she had called Harry Clearwater who with his gun had come to search for us in the woods, resulting in the worst scolding of my life.

I felt a pinch of sadness as I thought of those happy carefree times that I had spent with Paul before I straightened myself again. There was no use of dwelling in the past. It was done. It was over and we had to face the present which was in front of us.

"All legends are based on some truth, Bella" said Jasper softly bringing my attention back to him

I nodded my head reluctantly as a thought entered my mind, giving birth to a new hope within me. Did that mean I could become human again? Could I go back home to my family again and be normal once again?

"I can feel hope coming from you" said Jasper "I guess you are thinking about going back to your family"

I nodded my head frantically waiting for his answer

"I guess you can once you learn how to phase back to human. There is no reason why not. I was not here during the original treaty signing but the members of the last pack lived with their families and held normal jobs"

'How' I thought. Nothing else mattered at this point. I would think about all the additional information thrown on me later.

He shook his head as his voice filled with regret "I don't know the answer to that darlin. As I said I was not here during the treaty signing and I was never very interested in learning about shape shifters. But I know someone who can help you. Carlisle has studied a lot on shape shifters over the years…"

I nodded my head again in haste. I wanted to be back to human as soon as possible at this moment. Who or how helped did not matter at least not at this point.

"But before you take me up on that offer" continued Jasper stopping me from getting excited "You need to know something. The other half of the legends are true too"

I looked at him in confusion waiting for him to continue.

"Think about the legends again Bella. Who is the shape shifter's enemy? Why do you phase in the first place?"

'Cold ones' said an eerie voice in my head 'Vampires'

He nodded his head "The pale skin, gold eyes, the coldness of my skin, the smell that is causing you so much revulsion. My family and I are vampires" "But we feed on animals and so have a treaty with your tribe to never harm a human and be left alone in return" he added instantly

I took a step back in fear. His tone was serious. He was not kidding. He was a vampire, my mortal enemy, the one I was meant to kill and the one who was meant to kill me too.

He raised his hands up back in a defensive way "I have promised you that I will not harm you and I am a man of my words, Bella"

'How can I trust you?' I thought in disbelief. He was much older than me in supernatural years and he obviously knew more of all of this. How could I trust him then?

He chuckled lightly "If I wanted to kill you, I would not have helped you out in the first place. You can trust me"

I nodded my head hesitantly. I knew it was irrational but the human in me still wanted to trust Jasper and was ready to give him a chance.

"So do you want to go back to Carlisle? The sooner we go the sooner you are back to being human"

A loud growl escaped from my mouth instantly. My instincts going haywire, being around one of them was bad enough. I was definitely not going into a vampire haven by choice, now that I knew what they were. My wolf was livid with this suggestion. I was just one against many and there was no way I was surviving a fight if it broke out and majorly my wolf wanted no help of a vampire in her life which was ironic because Jasper had been the one to bring me to this point.

He shook his head with a small smile on his face "I guess that is a no"

He was quiet for a few minutes as if thinking of what to say ahead before he spoke again "Okay let me find out a way to get you back to human. Carlisle has a few journals that he wrote during those years when he lived here last. He may have something written in them. I could find those for you"

I nodded my head. I could work with that.

We were silent for a few minutes when suddenly a huge growl erupted from my stomach surprising me, I hadn't known that I was this hungry though in all actuality I should have known. I couldn't even remember the last time I had eaten anything.

He chuckled "Looks like it is time for you to hunt for the first time"

'Hunt' I looked at him in shock as he said these words. I was not going to hunt. I did not even know how to hunt in the first place.

He shook his head with a smirk placed on it "You know how to hunt. It comes with being a wolf. You just need to trust your instincts"

I just nodded my head nervously as he told me to follow him deeper into the woods. I was hungry and my wolf just needed food at this point.

"Okay so everyone has a different way and liking when it comes to hunting. Carlisle and I generally go for the ill or old as to not disturb the balance of nature much" he said as the both of us spotted a herd of deer nearby making my mouth salivate.

I hesitated though, how was I supposed to do this. I was not an animal at least not by mind.

"Bella" said Jasper firmly but softly "In your wolf form you will have to hunt. When you become human again you can eat normal food. Don't think so much about this now. Close your eyes and let your instincts guide you. They know what to do"

I nodded my head before giving myself to the wolf inside me and pouncing on the weakest and slowest there was in that herd. I bit into the shoulders and flanks eating the meat there was to eat, telling myself that it was like eating venison, only raw instead of cooked.

Finally when I was filled to the brim I took a step back looking at Jasper again for what to do next. It was strange and never heard before of, how a vampire had guided a shape shifter in her first step into this new life.

"Looking at your state, let's get you cleaned up" said Jasper as I nodded my head "And there was a cave I passed on the way. I guess you should stay there till you learn how to phase back to human"

I followed him as he walked through the woods wondering how my life had become this unexpected and dramatic and guessing of what all new twists were awaiting for me.


	16. Right or wrong

A/N: Just a short chapter to show what is happening back in La Push during the period of Bella being gone. I know the time frame changes a bit but what Bella was doing in these past three days will be explained in the next chapter.

Part III- Change

Chapter 5- Right or wrong

Kim POV-

"Why do I have to do this again?" I looked towards my boyfriend who was walking by my side as I asked this question for the tenth time since morning. I knew I was being annoying and unsupportive but damn it, Jared knew how much I hated this 'friend' of his and still here I was.

He squeezed my hand softly before giving me his best puppy dog eyes that always made my heart melt and that cheater knew of this.

"Kimmy, he was my best friend"

"Was Jared not is. It is past tense and that still does not answer why I have to be here in his welcoming home committee. I rarely even spoke to the guy when he lived here" I said annoyed at this sudden change in plan that had brought me here first thing in the morning.

"You are here for me not for him" he said softly, again squeezing my hand that was intertwined in his "And honestly he did not have many genuine friends here apart from me and…." He trailed off

"Bella" I finished his sentence huffing "But really isn't that his own damn conceited fault for abandoning his so called best friends that no one really wants to be here for this"

"Kim" he said stopping and looking towards me "I know that you dislike him because of what he did with Bella and trust me even I am not very happy with it but don't you think that he deserves some sort of welcome. He told me he is coming back yesterday. I can't just leave him hanging like this"

I shook my head in anger "No Jared. I don't just dislike him. I hate him for what he did to my best friend and the pain and hurt he caused her for weeks and unless he proves himself otherwise he is always going to be in my hate list" I said with a final look of disdain.

"I didn't know you had a hate list" he said chuckling with a smirk "So who all are on this hate list of yours and why have I never heard of this before? I thought we had no secrets between us, huh Kim Connweller" he said nudging me lightly.

I gave out a small smile at his teasing tone. I knew that he was trying to lighten the mood and I loved him for that. Jared was one of those people who knew how to bring a smile on a person's face, no matter how upset they were and I instantly thought back to the last few weeks when I had come close to losing him. Our impending long distance separation had become a sort of thorn in our relationship and for days I had worried that we would not be able to move past this but after having a long conversation with both of us truthfully speaking out our worries, we had decided to just deal with it as it came. There was no reason to ponder over it and ruin the present that we shared. We both knew that our love was strong enough to survive whatever came in its way and so whatever happened a year from now, we would deal with it together.

"You don't know because the hate list was just formed and so far there is only one name on it, Paul Lahote" I said with a small scowl.

"Really?" he said raising his eyebrow "You can't be serious? Jane is not on that list. I thought she was enemy number 1. I am heavily disappointed Kim and what about that cousin of yours who had come down for Christmas last year and spent the entire holiday cribbing about small towns ruining your holiday. At least she should be in the hate list now" he said with a silly pout as if he was actually offended.

A small laugh appeared on my face as I hit him in the chest playfully before leaning into him again and sighing in relief as his arms came to wrap around me.

"Give him a chance Kimmy. He is not that bad" he said wrapping his arms tighter around me as we slowly walked to Paul Lahote's house in La Push, as Jared had put it, to welcome him back.

"Hey, it is a best friend's right okay to hate her best friend's ex. You can't take that away from me" I said with a pout, giving him the hands-on-hips pose.

He chuckled lightly "They were not dating Kim"

I shrugged "You say potato I say potahto"

He rolled his eyes at me as he chuckled under his breath. Even if they had not been 'officially dating' they were extremely close and most of us had expected it to head in that direction sooner rather than later if his father had not decided to pack up and move so abruptly.

"I miss her" I whispered sighing lightly

"She will come back soon" he said reassuring me and I nodded my head hoping for the same.

It had been three days now since Bella had vanished in thin air on the way to First Beach supposedly and no one had been able to find her since. She had not come back home and was nowhere to be found in entire La Push or even Forks for that matter. George Martin who was the chief of police of Forks had even sent Bella's photo to the other police departments and had started to check in the hospitals nearby owing to her being ill before she suddenly disappeared but she was nowhere to be found and though people speculated that she had run away I knew that that was farthest from the truth. She would never have done that and she had no reason to do so. I thought back on how upset and worried Allison, Sam and Embry had been when I last saw them yesterday on my routine visit to check on them these days and how every few hours they would ask George Martin if he had found anything new. No Bella would never do that to them.

"Was your father able to find out the cause of her illness?" I asked Jared as his father had been the doctor to tend to Bella's sudden illness that had lasted close to three days, the temperature going up and down at random intervals without any particular diagnosis.

He shook his head "No, he could not find anything. But you know it was really weird"

"What was?" I asked curiously

"Billy and Harry had come to meet dad the other day and were asking about Bella's symptoms. After he told them they looked at him in shock for a few minutes before sharing a look, shaking their head as if it was impossible and left in a hurry"

"Strange" I mumbled as we reached the yard of Paul's new old house.

Though the plot of land was the same the exteriors looked like they had been done recently. The coat of paint looked fresh, the yard looked clean and even the few broken windows had been mended. It no longer looked like the abandoned house it had looked like for all these years.

We walked a few more steps ahead towards the front door of the house before knocking on the locked door. I could see a bike parked outside so I knew that he was home.

We waited for a few more minutes and when the door was still not opened, Jared knocked again. I gave him an annoyed knowing look. I had told him that it was too early for a visit but does he listen- No.

He sighed before knocking for the third and most probably last time and soon the door was opened by a sleep laden boy I hardly recognized. He was taller, well obviously I had expected that with him being gone for close to four years but he literally towered over me. He was built almost like he was a regular at a gym and was proud of it. He was wearing only a pair of knee length shorts that looked new and his short black hair was shorn short almost like it was cut in style.

And in short he looked nothing like the old unkempt Paul I had seen running around in La Push years back.

He wiped his eyes in an attempt to wipe away the sleep before looking at us clearly for a few seconds probably waiting for the realization to strike him.

"Jared?" he asked finally

"Yeah man" said Jared giving him a one armed hug as I rolled my eyes. I could never understand male friendships. They could pick up from where they left the friendship with no problems whatsoever no matter how long it had been.

"Kim?" Paul asked looking at me as if surprised to see me there. Yeah buddy, the feeling is mutual. Even I am surprised to see me here.

"In the flesh" I replied bitterly. I knew I was being rude but every time I looked or even thought about Paul, my mind drifted towards those few days when Bella had longingly stared at the computer awaiting his email only to be disappointed and upset and even though I had nothing personal against Paul, I would not forgive him till he proved himself worthy of being Bella's friend again, well in case he wanted to be her friend again.

Jared squeezed my hand softly before changing the topic "So what brought you back here?"

Paul shrugged "Don't know exactly. Had a feeling that I had to be here and so here I am"

Jared was about to say something when we heard a voice coming from the room upstairs.

"Paul, have you seen my shirt. I can't seem to find it"

My eyes widened in shock as I realized who this nasally squeaky voice belonged to. It was a voice I had unfortunately heard before much to my regret and it had often made me contemplate to bang my head in the nearest wall.

I stiffened in response as I felt Jared squeeze into my hand tighter "So what time did you reach here last night?" he asked Paul ignoring the female voice that we had just heard.

"Umm not very late, around eight or so" said Paul too deciding to ignore that voice

Jared nodded his head and they both started to talk about his road journey and where all he had stopped en route and I just stared at them both in awkward silence still not able to forget what 'she' was doing here.

I was not naïve enough to not know what that line had meant even if Jared and I were still waiting for the right time but really hadn't Paul just come back last night? Then again she was pretty quick.

"So where's Bella?" asked Paul suddenly looking at me, a few minutes into the conversation.

"Actually she is…" started Jared as I interrupted him

"She is busy with work and homework, you know how it is" I blabbered out suddenly without thinking

Paul nodded his head "I wanted to email her too but I think I have misplaced it"

I snorted before I could stop myself, more like purposely forgot.

"So I will see her around?" said Paul unsurely looking at the both of us for confirmation.

"Actually most of her free time is spent in Forks these days. Sam and Leah live there now and so does her boyfriend Jasper" I said lying before I could stop myself. I don't know what overcame me, maybe just the need to prove to Paul that Bella did not need him in her life. She was happy without him in it.

Paul looked thoughtful for a minute as his face took a sort of unreadable expression "I don't remember any Jasper from when I lived here"

I nodded my head "Yeah, his family moved to Forks from Alaska two years back"

"So are you coming back to school?" asked Jared coughing lightly and changing the topic before either of us could say anything more.

Paul nodded his head in reply before they spoke for a few more minutes exchanging numbers and deciding to meet at First beach in a few hours.

We both soon bid him bye and made our way out of his driveway.

"What was that about Kim?" asked Jared as soon as we were out of hearing range "Why did you lie? Jasper is not her boyfriend and why didn't you let him know that Bella is missing? He is going to find out soon enough anyways with the way gossip goes around"

"I panicked okay" I shouted in haste "I don't want him to hurt her anymore. He has already done that enough and didn't you hear Jane was in the house with him and the both of us know what she was doing there. Poor Bella I don't want her to get close to him again and suffer like before"

Jared shook his head looking angry for once "That is his personal business and you should not have interfered in between Bella and him. You had no right to"

We walked the rest of the distance in silence. Yes I had interfered but I hoped that I had been correct in doing so. I only wanted the best for my friend and in my opinion Paul Lahote was not the best for her.

A/N: Please don't hate Paul for this. I will soon do a Paul POV to explain his side of events. This chapter was in Kim's POV so obviously being Bella's friend her opinion would be a little biased in this matter. Thank you for reading though.


	17. Seeing you once again for the first time

Thank you Arami Estigarribia, sarae32, .7334, MammaNita4, Taylor9901, brankel1, catgrl, Tommy14, Cokey90 and the guest reviewers for your reviews.

Part III- Change

Chapter 6- Seeing you once again for the first time

Being a wolf was easy. Once I learnt what my new identity was and entailed, the other parts were easy to comprehend and accept and with a little bit of knowledge and some more of time I had become comfortable in my new skin sharing a body and somewhat mind with an animal however absurd that would have sounded just a few weeks back. The tougher part though was living as a wolf. The she wolf was a simple creature with only three needs in life- Food, Shelter and Mate. Other materialistic and worldly things just did not matter to her if she had these three and so far in the three days that I had been in the form of this wolf, I had successfully managed to get a grip on two out of those three. Shelter was the easiest to find with Jasper guiding me to that abandoned cave in the woods with a lake nearby for drinking purpose, that had since become my temporary home and the problem of food was solved by the simple process of hunting and even though I had found it weird and cringe worthy in the beginning I had soon come to love the chase of the hunt that the wolf desperately waited for and treasured and while raw deer meat had become one of the wolf's favorites, the human in me still craved human food and there were often moments when I wished I was at home eating my mother's lasagna or simple quick muffins for that matter but then the moment would pass and I would sigh and move on, waiting for the minute when I learnt how to phase back to human which I was hopeful would come very soon.

The third and most difficult need by far to fulfill of the she wolf was her need for her mate. The she wolf craved her mate more than anything and the first time she had yearned for her mate I had been confused by the sudden reaction of the wolf as she had left the cave in the middle of the night and while staring at the moon had howled a howl filled with such longing and desperation that my heart had broken into pieces when the call had not been reciprocated even though I had not understood who this 'mate' was that she was calling to. Was it another wolf wolf or was it a shape shifter that she was calling to, even though I didn't think there was any other shape shifter except me at this point. The second night too, the same had been repeated and the she wolf had forced me outside a few hours after sunset and she had stared at the moon emitting the same howl a few times before she had resigned and with a dejected heart breaking look on her face, she had gone back inside the cave to wait for the next night to arrive with the thought that maybe this time her call would be answered and her mate would turn up.

And as her need for her mate increased, so did my questions. Who was this mate and was he the mate only of the wolf or would he be my mate too, as we shared a body and if he was how would I know? Would I just have to accept the person my wolf chose as her mate, assuming that he was a person, or would I get a choice in this? The idea of being romantically involved with someone I had not even known and was chosen by just the animal side of me was par ridiculous but then again a small part of me had argued and dreaded that like being a shape shifter or not was not a choice, this too would not be a choice.

And so while the wolf in me called her mate every night and longed for him, I dreaded the possibility of him actually turning up and turning my world even more upside down than it was at this point of time. I was just learning how to be a wolf/ Shape shifter I did not need any more complications on the top of this and so every night the human in me and the wolf in me would be at loggerheads hoping that their wish would be the one to get fulfilled but come morning the tiff would be temporarily solved while the wolf chose to feed, bathe and rest and the human happily complied.

Another bigger change that had surprised me though had been the role of Jasper in my new life. With us meeting almost every other day in the bookstore in Port Angeles for the past few weeks we had soon become friends, even good friends for that matter but now Jasper was more of a confidant than just a friend. With him being a part of the supernatural world even if it was in the place of my mortal enemy, the secrets between us had in a way lessened and in a completely different way increased. Even if the circumstances were different for the both of us, Jasper understood what I was going through. Accepting a change of this big a magnitude was not easy and Jasper had now become that support that I could lean onto when the load on me was too much to bear. He would tell me stories of his change from a human to vampire and how painful it had been to be bitten and changed, something I found very similar to my own change into a shape shifter. He had then told me how it had felt once he woke up into this new life, a life of the undead stronger predator and how the first few decades had been a constant struggle for him with the new power going directly to his head making him evil and sadistic. I had listened with rapt attention and had growled loudly in a threatening manner when he had told me of what all crimes his sire Maria had made him commit and all the innocents he had changed or had fed on but he had been quick to reassure me that that life was in his past. He had then told me the story of how he had met the Cullens. Alice, Edward's wife and mate had been the one to bring him to the Cullens in the early fifties. Apparently she had the power to see visions and she had seen Jasper who had been a nomad at that time joining her on her quest to find Edward and the rest of his family and so she had gone to Philadelphia to take a depressed, having given up on life Jasper with her to the Cullens who had resided in New York during those days. He had told me how difficult the change was to vegetarianism as in only feeding on animals and how it was even harder to be the only unmated member in a family of mates. It got annoying and embarrassing at times when the rest of them would do the usual couple stuff or just go out on dates and all while he would be the odd man out left behind. Sure he had had a couple of meaningless flings over the duration of his extremely long life but now he was just waiting for his mate to arrive and start the life of eternal bliss that the other mated couples in his family so often spoke of.

The process of sharing from my side though was in completely different and unusual manner just like the friendship that the both of us shared, never heard of before. Every morning Jasper would come to meet me at the cave and then we would proceed towards the lake where we would sit and talk for the next few hours. Well he would talk while I listened to be more precise and on the occasions when I wanted to share what was on my mind or wanted to question him on anything supernatural related I would convey my question or feeling to him through emotions and then with the help of his gift and a little bit of guesswork he would answer my question or just respond with a nod as he 'listened' to what I had to say and the more time I would spend with him the more I would understand of how lonely he actually was. Sure he had a family who cared about him and even loved him but at the end of the day they all had their own lives and mates to go back to while Jasper would be left alone to read in his room or go out and hunt which was more of a chore than enjoyment on some days.

The only time I had lost my calm though had been when he had let it slip that Edward who was a mind reader had told him with clear disgust written on his face a few days after he had joined the 'family' as they preferred to call themselves instead of coven, that it would be better if Jasper did not think about his past horrific activities when Edward was around as it was disturbing to him and it had taken Jasper about an hour to just calm me down using his power to full effect as I just could not understand how a person could be this insensitive but Jasper had just told me in return that Edward was a bit touchy when it came to his mind reading abilities.

On the 'make Bella human again' mission front though things were going as slow as a snail, after I had rejected the idea of going to the Cullen haven for any sort of assistance the burden had fallen on Jasper's shoulder of finding the journal in which Carlisle had written about shape shifters after his sort of friendship with Ephraim Black who had been the one to initiate the treaty between the Cullens and the Quileutes in the 1930's before Alice and Jasper had joined their family which had given rise of a different form of curiosity in Carlisle making him research on everything there was to research about in the field of shape shifters. The harder part according to Jasper though was to hide this information of me being the first shape shifter of the latest pack from his family members with one being a mind reader and the other a seer but he had assured me that keeping Edward out of his mind was easy. He just had to think of his early days with Maria and Edward would steer away like the plague. Alice was slightly more difficult but for that Jasper had told me that he would stay away from making any decisions or would decide on the last minute which was a clear cut way to evade her visions and so while Carlisle was at the hospital and his other siblings were at school while he stayed back with the excuse of being thirsty and going hunting, he would search Carlisle's study for that journal which he had seen in passing once nearly four decades back but so far he had not found anything substantial with someone from his family always being around, though I was glad that he had agreed to my request of not involving any of his family members yet. For some reason my wolf just did not trust the rest of the Cullens except Jasper and she was terrified of them attacking while the numbers were uneven and so I had been surprised when Jasper had actually agreed to hide this information from his family and to not tell them where he was going everyday when he came to meet me but he had just shrugged in nonchalance when I had tried to ask him of this.

"What are you thinking about darlin?" asked Jasper as he sat next to me on the hard ground facing the lake where I spent hours every day. I didn't know how long I had been sitting here today but it was fair to say that it was long enough with the sun now setting and I frowned as I realized that I had been so engrossed in my own thoughts that I had not even smelt Jasper before he turned up right next to me when on any other day I would have smelt him from miles away.

I shook my head looking at Jasper which was my usual code for when I was not in the mood to 'talk' or listen and just wanted to be left alone to my own thoughts.

He sighed loudly "Did you go to see your family again today?"

Instead of responding with a nod like I should have, I just kept staring at the calm serene water in front of me that was so vast yet peaceful as if this lake had the secret formula to solve all my problems for me.

He shook his head after a few minutes of silence "Why do you keep torturing yourself like this every damn day by going and seeing them from afar when you can't go in front of them right now?"

I glared at him. It was not a torture to see the people I loved from far even if I knew that I could not go in front of them in this form of mine. Yes, maybe I had to see their anger, stress, tears and worry but wasn't it worth it when I got to at least see them?

"Bella I understand what you are going through" he said softly "When I first changed even I would run away from Maria's camp every few days see my momma and younger sister Bessie but I soon realized that I was only punishing myself by going through the same pain and heartbreak again and again. I would never be able to hug them or talk to them again and so it was better to just let them go and let them and everyone around them believe that I had died instead of seeing them every day and trying to live the life I would never be able to live again"

I shook my head in anger and slight sympathy. It was different. I had not been changed into a bloodsucking vampire. I was still almost human and I could be around humans without causing anyone any harm and it was only a matter of time before I could be around everyone again.

"I know it is different" he said after a few minutes "But still you are always unhappy for the next few hours after you see them"

I ignored his words as I thought back on how this unusual ritual of mine had started. It had been just a few hours after Jasper had showed me my cave on the first day when after another quick hunt I had ran towards my house in La Push relying solely on my instincts and had stared at my mother sitting on the armchair in her room while she read a book with huge dark circles under her eyes though it looked like she was hardly paying attention to the book. She looked so worried that I could not help but whine in sadness which had made her jump at her place making me realize that I would have to stand even farther away from the house than I had been before if I wanted to see them. I had stood there and seen her and Embry for a few hours as they did their own chores before running to Forks to see Leah and Sam who were having an early dinner with an almost despondent look on their face after which I had walked throughout the woods surrounding La Push seeing the known faces that I had seen and known since the last sixteen years before finally retiring back to my cave only to leave again the next day at almost the same time to complete the same cycle again even though it had pained me to do it the first time around with life going around me while I remained stagnant.

"They have put up missing posters for you in Forks" said Jasper bringing my attention back to the present.

I nodded my head. I had known of this having seen the missing poster myself on one of these late night visits though I was not sure how much I would look like that once I turned human again. I already felt different than I did before though I would only be able to tell once I phased back to human.

"I would still say that you should tell someone of this. Maybe someone you could trust from your tribe and who knows of these legends well" he said for the tenth time in the past three days

I shook my head hastily and firmly glaring at him. We had had this argument before with him telling me that I should show this form of mine to someone back on the res who would know of the possibility of these legends being true and me refusing to let anyone else get involved. There were several reasons for this decision of mine though, first and majorly fear. I was afraid that I would be termed an anomaly for being able to change into this from human and even if I wanted to tell anyone how would I, wouldn't they freak out and scream when they just saw me approaching from far? And also who would I tell? What if it was the wrong person who truly had no idea of the existence of shape shifters being true? Wouldn't it cause me more harm than good? The first name that had popped up in my mind when Jasper had asked me if anyone could have known of this being true was Billy, he was the chief of the tribe, surely he would know but then again the supposed last pack according to Jasper, my mortal enemy had been his grandfathers and if the time frame was correct Billy had been a year old when Ephraim Black died so him knowing of this was a big question mark at the moment.

Also I was terrified of people ostracizing me when they realized that I was part animal being a shape shifter and was not like them 'normal' and from past experience I knew people did not accept unusual or unique very fast. Let alone others would even my family accept me after knowing of this big secret and the fact that I could sprout fur and burst out of my skin when angry or would they always be scared to talk to me or be around me?

No it was better if no one knew. I would soon change back to human and this life would be behind me. My anger triggered the change so I would make sure to keep a check on my anger and everything would go back to how it had been before. Yes this world and these few days would be behind me very soon.

"I should get going" said Jasper loudly making me look at him "Alice, Edward, Rose and Emmett are going on a couple's hunting trip for the weekend and Esme will be at the hospital to spend some time with Carlisle during his break. The house will be empty and with Alice busy and not keeping an eye on her visions I will be able to search for the journal in Carlisle's expansive study"

I nodded my head sending him my gratitude for doing this for me and he shrugged in return before turning back and running in the opposite direction. I still did not know why he was doing so much for me but I was thankful nonetheless for his help.

I sat there near the lake for the next few hours thinking about nothing and everything before running back to my cave to stretch my paws and rest before trying to get some sleep. Even though real wolves were nocturnal animals and slept in the day while they hunted at night, I was just glad for my human side that still followed the biological cycle of sleeping at night and staying awake in the day and I lied down on my paws as I let the exhaustion of the day pass over me.

It must have been a few hours later when I suddenly woke up with a jerk as my nostrils flared with the most tempting mouthwatering scent I had ever smelt which made the wolf's ears perk up in delight as if she knew something I didn't and before I knew it my body was leading me towards that scent somewhere nearby in the woods.

I ran at the fastest speed I could muster for the next few miles in anticipation to know of what could smell this good. The aroma was a mixture of the woods mixed with honeysuckle and I involuntarily sniffed the air a few many times trying to register and remember this wonderful of a smell.

What was this that smelt so good and why was I being pulled towards it?

I had run for a few miles when seeing a figure approach from the opposite side I stopped in the tracks. It was almost midnight, what human would be trekking through the woods at this point of time unless…

I sniffed the air again. No this was not a bloodsucker whoever this was, was definitely human and oh! He was the one with the breathtaking scent.

'How could anyone smell this good' I pondered once again groaning

The man who was now walking towards me had his face downcast due to which I had not been able to see his face and similarly he had not been able to know of my presence yet being far away for the human eyesight to detect and I contemplated running away before he came any closer.

That would have been the smart thing to do in this situation but my wolf loudly protested with a huge growl making me stand fixed on the ground while the man came closer and closer to me.

I stared at him in fear forcing my body to cooperate much to my wolf's displeasure but then suddenly the man looked up being close enough to realize that an animal was standing in front of him and I stood there on my paws looking shocked and yet equally surprised.

The light of the moon left an almost silvery glow on his rich copper colored skin making him look beautiful. His gorgeous brown eyes were wide open as he stared back at me with an unreadable expression on his face. I could see a tattoo of a serpent emblazoned on his muscular arm as his hands lay frozen at the sides of his torso too scared to make any sudden move.

He looked the same and yet at the same time so much older and different and I could not stop myself from looking at him once again. A thousand memories flitted through my mind and as our eyes met the only thought and only person in my mind was him, Paul Lahote.


	18. The wolf with the white fur

Thank you MammaNita4, Taylor9901, sarae32, brankel1, .7334, Tommy14, Cokey90, catgrl and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

A/N: Long chapter but I could not cut it in two parts. Hope you like it.

Part III- Change

Chapter 7- The wolf with the white fur

Paul POV-

'_Two wolves were running deep in the woods passing the luscious green foliage__taking quick steps, a howl of happiness escaping their mouths as they ran alongside one another playfully nudging the other, the passing trees and the cold wind a witness of their everlasting boundless love. The one with the silver fur, the male gazed onto the female with a look of complete adoration and love in his eyes. He was content, blissfully so. His mate was perfect and he could not have asked for anything more in life. It was almost as if all his wishes had come true together when he had got to make her as his and with her he was complete like he had never been before. The female, a she wolf with fur the color of snow, returned his look of love with one of her own before stopping suddenly and turning to look back. She was looking for something with a little worry and slight fear in her eyes and the male wolf slowly and reassuringly licked her muzzle promising her that everything would be okay and till she had him there would be no worries or pain in her life. The she wolf smiled returning his gesture and soon the air was filled with the sound of boisterous playful howls. Both the wolves gave each other knowing prideful looks before sitting on their paws turning to look from where the sounds were coming while they waited for their bundles of joy to appear and soon two small little puppies, both with fur a light silver and looking the perfect mixture of their parents ran to where their parents were sitting waiting for them and with playful howls and nips settled in the middle of their parents paws while their parents breathed over them reassuring their pups of their love and care for them. The younger pup smiled looking at his mother as she nudged him closer to her giving the newborn her warmth and love while the father played with the elder pup, another boy trying to keep this overactive small little packet of energy engrossed for a few minutes. The mother sighed in happiness as she took in the slight of her family and the male soon cuddled his entire family close to him, with silent words thanking his mate for giving him this beautiful family and making what he once thought could only be a dream, a reality. His life was perfect and this was his family.'_

I woke up with a gasp as I heard the annoying ring tone of my phone blaring from where it was lying on the bedside table in my bedroom. I quickly ran a hand through my messy hair before sitting up on the bed and using the back of the other hand to wipe the sweat that was drenched on my forehead before looking at my phone which had now stopped ringing.

'Great' I thought sarcastically looking at the time on my watch and noticing that it was well past midnight. I had never been an easy or deep sleeper and once woken up from my sleep it would take quite some time to fall back asleep. I wiped my forehead again to clear out the sweat before realizing that my entire upper body was drenched in sweat.

Why was it so hot in here? I sighed loudly before removing my sweat drenched t-shirt that I had forgotten to remove before sleeping and roughly throwing it on the floor. I would worry about stuff like laundry and cleaning the room tomorrow when I was a bit more awake then this. I got up from the bed cursing the fact that there was no air conditioning in this room and opened the huge windows that were facing the woods behind my house.

'This would have to do for now at least' I thought as I looked through the silent dark woods for a minute. For a person who had never lived here, these woods could be scary. There were just so silent and mysterious as if no one knew what secrets they were hiding within their greenery but having lived here for at least a while I was pretty much comfortable with living around with nothing other than the silent dark woods for neighbors.

I looked outside for a few more minutes ignoring the deep completely irrational pull within me to go in there before turning and going back on my bed. It was still early and I could manage to get a few more hours of uninterrupted sleep.

I had just sat on my bed with this thought in mind when the phone suddenly rang again making me roll my eyes at the jinx I had just imposed upon myself.

"Wassup asshole" said a voice as soon as I had picked up my phone making me roll my eyes once again. Of course only my best friend would think of starting the conversation like this.

"Do you know what the fucking time is, Cherry?" I said annoyed and irritated at the fact that she woke me up from my sleep "It is well past midnight"

"Oops sorry" she said a bit too quickly and apologetically "I was having breakfast here and thought of calling you and seeing whether you reached safely or not. I forgot the time difference. Silly me" she added in an innocent tone.

I sighed. Cherry could be sweet when she wanted to be. Cherry or Charlotte Williams had been my best friend and almost sister for almost three and a half years now though originally she had been my annoying cousin Tim's girlfriend but after their very much public and rude break up she and I had stayed cordial to one another and soon she had become one of my closest friends in the world who I trusted with my life and to be honest I did owe her pretty much of what I was today. After I had been emancipated a year back, which in my opinion was the best thing that happened to me, she had been the one to help me get on my feet and start my own life as an emancipated minor.

"Which desperate quick lay are you thinking about at the moment that you seem so lost?" she asked suddenly, her voice sounding as if she was munching on a wafer, bringing me out of my thoughts and making me roll my eyes again.

"How is London?" I asked changing the topic. I could hear the sarcasm in her voice and I knew nothing good could come from that one conversation. If there was something Cherry disliked or rather outright hated about me, it was my commitment issues and the fact that I was not really into relationships as much as the physical aspect of it. She knew the reasons though but still she just did not like it and so unless necessary or more or less always, I shrugged her off when she said how pathetic of a habit I had developed in my life.

She let out a happy sigh which I could clearly hear on the phone "Paul, my mom remarrying Philip at least did one good thing. His penthouse is fucking huge. They have an indoor pool and a personal Jacuzzi and sauna"

I gave out a laugh at her words "I am sure Clara is glad that you finally approve"

She did not say anything but I knew that she was finally accepting the fact that her mom Clara had moved on after her father's passing away a year back. It had been hard on her in the beginning to accept this and the Cherry who never cried had often cried in front of me but Philip was a good man even if he was a bit ostentatious in life and he really did treat Cherry as his own daughter even if she refused to even talk to him properly.

"So" she drawled out talking to someone in the background before coming back on line "Have you reached La Push? How is it there? Did you meet your old friends? Did you get the answers what you had gone there for?"

"Cherry" I interrupted her ramblings "As much as I love talking to you and listening to your sob stories in life, this is really not the time. I was sleeping before this if you have forgotten"

"Oh hush" she said nonchalantly "You are awake now and I need answers okay. I need to know stuff and hey I so don't do sob stories"

I rolled my eyes before taking a deep breath knowing that Cherry was persistent when it came to getting answers out of a person and she was also half crazy. She would keep calling and pestering till she got them.

"La Push is good. I reached yesterday at night. I have met a few of my old friends, I think I have told you about Jared before and no I have not got any answer yet for what I had come here for"

She sighed "Did you get the same dream again?"

I nodded my head before stupidly realizing that she could not see me "Yup just before I rudely woke up from your call" I said the last part a bit angrily

"Don't you think you should see a professional now? It has been what four months of the same recurring dream now" she whispered softly

"I am not going to a shrink Cherry" I shouted on the phone "What is the big deal anyways? It is just a dream and most people don't even remember their dreams. Big deal if I remember it"

She sighed "It is not normal to dream the same thing again and again. Something is troubling your mind and…"

"Enough Cherry" I said cutting her off "Look I need some sleep. I will call you back later" I said before cutting the call and throwing my phone on the bed, beside me. Cherry was the only person who knew that I had been getting this same dream of the two wolves running in the woods together with their pups for nearly four months now but even she did not know half of it. I had originally not wanted to tell her or anyone for that matter anything but one day after a sleepless night as I sat in the apartment we shared as roommates since the past few months she had made me spill everything over a cup of coffee and after listening to my dream she had given me weird interpretations like I was missing my family which she knew was not true as I had no family or I was wanting love or some other crap like that and finally I had told her to just shut up with her ridiculous analysis and get ready for school and that had been the end of the discussion from my side though every few days she would ask me this same question again, if I had stopped having this same dream and my answer every time would be no.

I laughed out a bitter laugh to myself, all traces of sleep gone. If only she knew the entirety of it. It was not only this dream that had been torturing me with its continued unwanted presence. The small hints were everywhere and there was no escape from it.

It had started nearly four months back when the smallest things around me started associating themselves to a completely different memory or person for that matter leaving me confused. It could be anything. The abandoned warehouse I passed every morning on the way to the Gym would remind me of my old house in La Push, a random old man in a wheelchair outside the grocery story would make me suddenly think of Billy Black. A group of young kids playing football in an open ground would remind me of myself as a child playing football in La Push and a small girl with brown hair tied in pigtails with the most innocent eyes, outside the movie theatre would remind me of her, Bella.

There was just no escape from it. Everywhere I went something or the other would make me think of something completely random back in La Push, La Push being the common factor in all of them and there was nothing I could do to stop this.

I knew that often memories associated themselves to some things and maybe I was just missing the place and people I had lived around for years but then again I had not thought about those things or people in almost months or maybe even years. Why would they come back to me now?

I had ignored all of this till almost two weeks back but then one day I had woken up in my bedroom in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with the scent of the woods and rain that I had smelled before in La Push, in my nostrils almost as if I was in La Push and that was when I knew that none of this was normal.

I had continued to smell the same smell for the next few days all the while a deep craving within me had made itself known, a craving a pull to be somewhere else other than Pittsburgh that had been my home. I had ignored the pull at first but soon it had become like an iron chain fastened around my neck and then as a last resort I had decided to come here, back to La Push to see what had been pulling me here but so far in these two days the questions had only increased instead of decreasing.

"Fuck" I groaned out running a hand through my hair as I once again felt this intense pull in my chest. It had increased since the past three days though and now it was almost unbearable. It was a type of calling but what was calling me, where and why I had no idea. I knew it was insane and completely irrational but I could feel something pulling me towards them.

"I am going insane" I said loudly before jumping slightly in my place when I heard a howl. A wolf howl, something within me said. It was the same torturous, full of longing and loneliness howl that I had heard last night and which had kept me awake for hours later.

A part of my heart clenched unwillingly as my thoughts fell onto that wolf. Why was it hurting? And why could I feel this sudden pain within me when I thought of that animal's pain?

What on earth was wrong with me? Maybe I really did need a shrink.

I looked outside the window once again as the calling within me increased almost like a thick rope had been tied to me and now someone was pulling my rope as per their whim and fancy without any choice of mine in it.

'No' I said firmly in my mind stopping my legs from moving and following this pull. I was not going to give in. It was fucking midnight. God knows what kind of animals would be roaming around right now. This was really not the time for a stroll in the woods.

I protested loud and clear but finally I could feel the pull, the calling win when out of my will and ignoring the rational part of my brain, my body started walking towards that invisible cord which had been pulling me towards it.

It was not a wish any longer. It was a need, a need that needed to be fulfilled.

I left the safety of my house and with hesitant steps walked inside these freaking dangerous woods all alone without a flashlight or even compass to guide me back. Heck, forget that I was shirtless at the moment though surprisingly despite the weather I was not feeling cold. It was bearable at most.

"Just great" I said sarcastically when I put my hand in my pant pocket and realized that I did not even have my phone on me as I had thrown it on the bed and this irrational stupidity had not let me think of taking it before I left.

I walked through the deep green luscious surroundings wincing slightly every time I heard a common sound that could be heard in the middle of the damn woods.

I don't know for how long I walked or why or what but my feet kept following this pull without any choice of mine and refused to stop. I had to know what was calling me. I needed to know what was calling me and it was beyond the sense of free will now.

Suddenly I stopped in my tracks as a figure approached me from the opposite side. It was an animal I could say, a huge animal and most probably a wild one. It was running towards me with quick huge strides, the sound of its paws clear in the air making me take a step back in fear.

Of course, what else did I expect from being at this time here? I was doomed that was for sure.

'So this is how it ends' I said waiting for what I knew was about to come. Why had I followed this crazy pull? Why had I even come to La Push in the first place?

I should have just gone to a shrink and admitted that I was having delusions or hallucinations or whatever the fuck this was called. I just could not think straight at the moment this close to my death.

Suddenly the animal stopped in its way and with the little moonlight falling on us, I took in the sight in front of me, my mouth wide open in shock when I realized what or rather who was in front of me.

It was a wolf, a beautiful snow white wolf. I recognized the wolf however impossible that should have been. She was the female wolf from my recurring dream, the one with the soft fur and compassionate loving eyes. I looked around me to see if I could find the silver male wolf and the pups but they were nowhere to be found.

A sudden feeling of content and completion settled over me surprising me, leaving me puzzled.

She kept staring at me with something akin awe and I stared back too, my reason slightly different. How was this possible? How could I see an animal in my dream before seeing it in real life again? What did this mean? Did it even mean anything? Was this just a freaky coincidence?

The invisible cord that had been fastened to my chest since the past days let loose and I finally took a breath in relief. I could see it going around though, it wrapped around the both of us, me and the wolf in a tight unbreakable circle confusing me even more.

She, the wolf took a step ahead immediately making me take a step behind. A part of me wanted to touch her and assured me that she would not harm me but I pushed that part down. This was not some ridiculous movie or dream sequence. It was real and this was an animal in front of me who could easily kill me if she thought of me as a threat to her or her pups.

She whined loudly before sitting on her paws in a non threatening manner almost as if trying to make herself look smaller. Her eyes were intelligent and so human like that I was surprised for a minute.

When she did not attack I slowly let myself relax. Maybe she would leave if I acted disinterested and harmless. Hey, I did not know how this worked but at the moment anything could work. If animals seen in dreams suddenly become real then yup this can also work.

She slowly walked forward, almost crawling ahead as if she knew that I was wary and could feel my fear before sitting a little far away from me, her eyes pleading to me to not leave and go.

'Strange' I thought. The entire situation was strange though.

"You are an enigma you know" I said loudly knowing how insane I sounded talking to an animal who would not even understand what I was saying but it just felt right like this was how it was supposed to be.

"I have seen you before" I continued "But where is your mate, girl? Shouldn't you be in your cave with him?"

Her eyes took in a look of sadness, so heartbreaking that I felt sorry for her. She kneeled onto the floor as if wallowing in her own misery making me feel even worse.

"Hey just ignore me. I speak bullshit all the time" I said waving my hand in the air nervously as she just stared at me from above her paws. I didn't know why I felt so terrible at the moment at the thought of hurting her and the entire situation was ridiculously insane but still something within me said that she could understand what I was saying.

"So if you don't plan to kill me, can I leave?" I asked suddenly after a few minutes of silence. I ignored the pain in my chest that had accompanied my words. Maybe after seeing a shrink I should go and get a health check up done.

She whined even louder almost like she was in pain before staying completely still for a few minutes as if she was thinking of something and then she did something completely unexpected. She with a determined stride came closer to me and sat on her paws right next to where I was standing looking at me with almost a challenge in her eyes as if she was challenging me to move from here now. It was as much as a threat as a challenge.

I could not repeat it enough how bizarre the entire situation was and I would have laughed if it wasn't so serious.

"Gosh women" I said aloud "This is a sort of kidnapping you know"

She snorted loudly almost rolling her eyes in a very human gesture surprising me once again at how could an animal be this intelligent and I was even more surprised with my instincts being completely relaxed and comfortable around her.

I sighed before sitting down right next to her. If I was not allowed to leave at least I could get the liberty of sitting.

She picked up her big wolfy head and put it in my lap as if telling me to pet her though I nervously kept my hands to myself. Soon I heard a purring like noise coming deep from her chest.

It was soothing I realized and I felt peace and warmth pass over me. Things like this, feelings like these don't take place in real life but still this felt real and even good.

The both of us sat on the cold hard ground with her head in my lap and my hands on the side and I soon lost myself in my own thoughts once again.

Meeting Jared and Kim this morning was quite different from what I had expected yet felt normal almost as if I had never left La push all those years back and Jared had even made me meet our old classmates again in the afternoon on first beach. They were nice enough and the thought of attending school back here felt like a right decision. I had been in two minds at first on whether I wanted to stick around in La Push or leave to go back. I was a free bird to say and except Cherry no one really was waiting for me back there but something about this place just felt right.

I was confused about my reaction though when Kim had spoken of Bella. A sudden feeling of possessiveness and protectiveness had flared in me and when she had said that Bella was dating some douche named Jasper all I wanted to do was go and kill this idiot who dared to date her.

It was wrong I knew but still I could not stop myself from thinking so. I knew that I should not think of Bella like this. She had a right to date whomsoever she wanted to but yet this feeling of anger and possessiveness left me crippled.

I sighed, thinking of the circumstances surrounding which our friendship had ended, it had completely been my fault though and I thought once again if it could be mended again or was it now too late to mend. A part of me was ashamed of doing so. She had been a good friend and I had left her so coldly when things around me changed.

It had started a month or so after I moved to Pittsburgh though, at the age of thirteen a little before I turned fourteen when I met her, Mackenzie Jacob for the first time. She was a diva dressed in the body of a sixteen year old cheerleader. She was beautiful, intelligent, smart and every teenage hormonal boy's ultimate fantasy. Everyone wanted her and even I soon realized that I wanted her too. I had never believed in love. It was crap and fake in my eyes but something about her made me believe in love. The way I felt for her when she twirled a finger around her hair and pouted oh so seductively, she was a charmer and I was charmed.

I had never expected her to notice me back though. Why would she, she was two years older and popular and I was just the new guy in school but she had. Every day she would smile at me making me smile back and soon we got to talking. She would tell me about her and her friends and all the places she went on vacations and I would listen like this was the most interesting topic on the planet. She was perfection and I wanted that perfection in my life.

Very soon I forced myself to take the first step ahead and kissed her softly one day a month later when we were talking about nothing in particular and to my surprise she had kissed me back. My first kiss and it had been perfect. She guided me through it and when a few days later she had agreed to be my girlfriend I had been on top of the moon.

I had been so naïve though as I had not been able to figure the actual game she was playing. After the news that we were dating broke out, suddenly I was the most popular guy in my grade and I thrived on this news and why would I not, it was a dream come true for a teenager dreaming of the prettiest girl in school.

I would tell her about my life back in La Push and she would listen but soon her expression would change to anger and jealously when she would hear about Bella and how close a friend she had been to me. She did not like me talking or even thinking of any other girl but her and now when I thought back on it, I realized how many red flags that was but at that time I had found her possessiveness cute. My fourteenth birthday had soon passed and I had celebrated it with her telling her that it was my best birthday ever, a few days later though we had had our first fight when she had confronted me with the accusation that I was cheating behind her back with Bella. I could not believe her. Bella was my friend, my best friend. I had told her ample of times that there was nothing between the both of us but still she refused to believe me and then as a last resort she had told me to stop talking to Bella if I wanted our relationship to survive.

I had been a fool, a fool who thought he was in love when I had agreed with her to drop my old friend like this, so suddenly just because she wanted it from me but still I had done it.

She had been elated when I had told her of this and that was when she had said that she was willingly to go to the next step with me as she now trusted me. I at the fourteen had then lost my virginity that night. I did not know if I was too young for it or even prepared for it, but the feeling of being inside her had been something else. Nothing could compare to that and it had soon become an addiction for me. She was my drug and I craved her body.

Things between us became slightly better after that and I felt like things were going perfect in life when suddenly the picture broke and her reality came in front of me when I caught her kissing another guy in her grade just next to my locker. She had not even bothered to apologize or explain. All she had said was that I was a great lay but she wanted something more experienced in life. I had then found out that she had just been playing with me and I had been just a mere pawn in her fun and games. She did not love me in fact she had no feelings other than sexual for me.

This feeling of being used was terrible. I had been used by her and it had shattered me in an unexplainable way and that was when I realized that love and relationships is all bullshit and it is all about sex in life and that was when I had changed completely.

The wolf's purring brought me back to the present and I shook my head. It was not the time to dwell on the past.

I looked at the wolf who was staring at me with warmth in her yellow eyes.

"I don't know if she will ever forgive me snow. But I will at least try to mend the bridge I had once burnt"

I didn't know if Bella would ever forgive me or even talk to me for that matter but I would definitely apologize to my oldest friend for dumping her like this. Then the ball was in her court.


	19. Question and Answers

Thank you Tommy14, MammaNita4, Arami Estigarribia, sarae32, Taylor9901, Anchalee, catgrl, Cokey90, Twibookworm, brankel1 and .7334 for your reviews.

I am so sorry for there being a delay in posting this chapter. I just couldn't get my words right and I deleted two fully completed drafts of this same chapter before deciding to start again as I just wasn't happy with how the chapter was turning out. Anyways enough with the excuses, I hope you like this chapter and I have also posted a new one shot named 'It will be like I never existed'. It is slightly different from whatever I have written till date and if you have the time please give it a read. Thank you.

Part III- Change

Chapter 8- Question and Answers

Warmth….

Sheer warmth enveloped me, cocooned me like a blanket of satisfaction, completeness and pleasure. I had never known how the rays of the sun falling on a sleeping body so early in the morning could feel so peaceful, so inviting, so calm and so complete.

A big wolfy smile crossed my face even before my eyes opened to welcome this bright morning of a new day filled with new experiences. I had never really thought about whether I was a morning person or not. Due to the reservation school starting at the crack of dawn, sleeping in late was really not an option and in the summers on most days I would wake up early to help my mother with her gardening or help her in preparing a wholesome breakfast as I had done so since I was probably 13. I had never really paid much attention to this. Sure I disliked being woken up from a pleasant dream and even more so when it was from Embry annoyingly shouting in my ear to wake me up or from when Sam lived with us and loudly spoke on the phone to Leah every morning as if they lived on different planets and if he spoke at a volume lower than that, it would not reach her making me roll my eyes and simultaneously shout at him to lower his volume. I would then go and complain to my mother but all she would do was laugh and tell me that this was how it was growing up with siblings and I would miss all this one fine day.

I sighed as a tear dropped down my muzzle. It was now four days since I had been in this form of a wolf with no way to get back to human or see my family again. I missed my mother. I missed Sam and Leah. I missed my friends and I even missed Embry who was one of the most annoying, yet sweet brother to exist. I just wanted to go back home to them.

The saying 'You don't know what you've got until it's gone' passed through my mind making me realize the true meaning of it. I had never really underestimated having a loving caring family before. I knew that not many had it and I was one of the lucky few to have it in life and my mother had made sure that I was aware of this fact since an early age but still before this moment I had never really understood what it meant to be alone without the hope of ever seeing the ones you love again. Maybe this was what growing up meant, understanding the true value of the people that wish to be in your life.

I sighed chiding myself. I had to stay positive if I wanted to keep myself sane and not lose myself to my new found animal side. Life was all about balance and I needed to learn how to balance the human needs, emotions and feelings with the one of the animal and in order to do so I had to keep hope that I would soon be back in my human form, free to go home, back to my normal life.

Hope was everything. If you had hope you could accomplish everything in life and without hope life was no life at all. Hope kept us living and this hope that one day soon I would eat breakfast again with my family on a Sunday or gossip with Kim or go shopping with Leah again was what kept me going. That day would soon come I knew of it. I just had to stay positive and wait for that day to arrive.

A smile graced my face as my thoughts went back to the dream I had been having just before I woke up. It had been so beautiful and fulfilling maybe even surprising and unusual though. I had been lying down in a meadow surrounded by greenery as I lay my head in Paul's lap all the while he ran his hands through my hair making me give out a contented sigh. I had felt relaxed and at complete peace in that dream as if nothing bad could touch me when he was around which honestly confused me more than normal. Apart from the occasional dreams that I had seen and remembered with Paul being in it, we had never touched or even connected on an emotional level in any of those dreams. It felt strange how emotionally fulfilling that dream had been as if it had truly meant something to me.

I frowned as I tried to remember what date Kim had told me of his moving back to La Push. I could not remember the exact date now but it should have been close by to the current date whatever today's date was. Living like a wolf sure came with its own disadvantages though. One major disadvantage being I had no knowledge of the date or time now. Hours passed like minutes and my bodily cycle was more attuned to nature around me than a physical clock now. I had somehow managed to keep track of the days that passed but I feared that as more days would pass I would lose track of time. It was easy to lose track of time in wolf form anyways.

I shook my head to clear my mind as my thoughts went back to Paul. His name bringing a surge of warmth within my pores and butterflies I had never known of existing in my stomach. It felt surreal how suddenly just a name could make me feel so alive but I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind stating that I was forgetting something really important.

'It is weird' I summarized pushing those thoughts back to the recesses of my mind.

Thinking about a person should not make me feel like this but still I could not stop myself from thinking whether he was back in La Push now or not or whether he had found out about my disappearance or not.

'Did he even care enough to worry?' A small voice said in my head and I could not understand the pain and sadness that passed through my mind at this random thought. It should not have felt so but still it felt as if his forgetting or not caring of me would be the worst thing to occur in life.

A growl of hunger resonated from my body making me get back to the situation at hand which was hunting. My wolf was hungry and I pushed back all other thoughts as I opened my eyes to get up and get going with the day.

A frown crept onto my face as I sat with a start on my paws and took in the surroundings around me. I was in the middle of the woods with my cave nowhere in sight.

How had I reached here? The last thing I remembered was sleeping in my cave then how did I wake up here so far away from my cave?

A captivating scent lingered around me and I smelled the air a few times trying to make sense of this scent and recognize the face that went with this smell, making my wolf purr in delight. She was happy beyond words and a feeling of pride emitted from her confusing me even more.

My confusion though soon turned to dread and disbelief as random memories passed through my mind, making me realize why I didn't have much memory of these events.

The she-wolf had taken over. My instincts had overridden my senses and I was reacting solely on instincts during those moments and so the conscious side of mine had not been able to register much.

'Crap!' I exclaimed as I realized exactly what had occurred in these past eight hours. I had seen Paul. I closed my eyes again as an image of him entered my mind, making its place there permanently.

Physically his face had not changed much, only matured and I concentrated on the new scar that I had seen just below his left eye brow.

How had it come there? A sudden need to know about it spread through me. It was an intense need to know everything there was to know about him.

His hair was cropped short, shorter than he used to keep it earlier and I wondered how soft it would feel in my hands. He was muscled and well toned with a height over six feet and his rich copper skin that made him look more out of a magazine than a seventeen year old and the tattoo, oh my god the tattoo that he had on his arm only added to his charm making me realize that he was indeed extremely sexy.

'Sexy' I scowled to myself. Where did that come from? I mean I knew hormones and all and often Kim and I had described in detail on which boy we knew or actor or footballer was hot or not but seriously Paul Lahote had turned to Sex-on-legs in the past few years.

What was wrong with me? I had never thought of Paul like this. Like ever. In fact I had never really thought of anyone like this before. I wanted him to take me, to possess me, to touch me like no one had ever touched me before. I wanted him to….

'Stop' I shouted loudly in my mind, panting, trying to figure out the source of this bizarre thoughts as another memory filled my mind.

This memory was different and even more intense than any other. Something had occurred when my eyes had met his deep black beautiful ones, something important and something life changing. Random scenes and words filled my mind which I could not really make sense of.

A tunnel vision with him standing on the other side, the world around faded to black and white as he stayed in color smirking at me while he ran a hand through his hair. Snippets of a future passed through my head as I saw images of a family, a marriage, children with black hair, brown eyes and dimpled smiles, old age and laughs bringing with it a life time of happiness and love.

My eyes opened wide again as I realized that the couple in all those images were me and Paul. We were the ones married, the ones with the children looking at us with innocent playful grins and the ones sitting on the porch in our old age with our arms wrapped around us reminiscing about the days gone by.

It felt like something was binding me to him now, a bunch of silver cables tying me to him. As if my life had held no meaning before this moment and my life would hold no meaning if he was not a part of it. He was connected to me forever and till I had him nothing else would matter in life.

'Mine' said the wolf with evident pride in her voice "Mate" she repeated in the same tone as if her life was now complete.

'Mate' I thought in confusion as the implications of this one word crossed my mind. How could Paul be the wolf's mate and how would this affect the human me? And more importantly why him and why now?

A fleeting thought of whether Paul would phase too passed my mind but I pushed it back at the moment. I would think about that later.

I had a million questions to which I needed answers but I had no one to ask them to and this small fact troubled me more than I wanted to believe. All I knew was I needed answers and I needed them soon.

X-X-X-X-X-X

I was running, running through the deep green forest faster than I had ever before. The wolf needed to see her mate. There was a fear, a new intense need within her and now that she had seen her mate she did not want to be away from him. It did not matter that she had seen him less than a twenty four hours before all she knew was that when I or rather she had woken up this morning, Paul had not been there beside her like he had when she had fallen asleep, too comfortable and at peace by his presence.

I sighed. A few times a day I felt like I was going crazy as at least once a day I behaved like the she wolf was another entity instead of being a part of me but it was not like I could help it. It was not only that we shared a body, at times it also felt like we shared a mind too and I could feel the presence of the wolf even when other thoughts were running rampant in my mind. Her thoughts were more instinctual in nature but they were there and at this moment her need to see her mate prevailed over every sane thought in my mind.

I ran till I came in front of the house where his scent that I could now recognize anywhere, lingered the most. The surroundings too seemed familiar and I soon remembered that this was his old house where he had stayed before he moved to Pittsburgh.

I stayed outside in his backyard hidden by a tree as I looked inside, at him through his window and I just could not stop myself from staring at the gorgeous sight in front of me. It looked like he had just got out of a shower as there was only a thin towel on his waist. His hair was wet and a few drops of water were trailing down his muscular chest.

'Fuck' I drawled out panting even more than before. Was it possible for wolves do drool because I was most definitely drooling right now? What was happening to me? Why was the human in my wanting to throw Paul down on the bed behind him in his room and kiss him till he was breathless?

I had never felt like this before. Like never. I knew what attraction was and I had been attracted to a few others before but this felt much beyond attraction. It was intense and needful and insane beyond words. Was this because of the new connection that I had felt happening between us or was this just my own hormones out to play?

I had liked him when we were kids and to be honest I still liked and wanted what we had once shared but these feelings were very new to me. This need for him was extremely absurd for me.

I closed my eyes indeed very reluctantly as I felt him drop the towel down and before I could change my mind about this I ran back in the opposite direction, back to my cave.

Jasper was waiting for me outside my cave when I reached and he patted to the seat beside him on the ground motioning me to sit. His expression was serious and I wondered what had happened to bring him here at this time in the night.

"So I have found Carlisle's journal" said Jasper nervously unlike his normal calm nature "But Bella are you really sure about this?"

He sighed continuing "Reading a third person's documentation may not be as accurate as actually talking to someone who knows more about it and even though I trust Carlisle and his research, I still think it would be better if you just spoke to one of your tribe's elder. They could tell you much more than what any book could tell you"

I shook my head knowing that this was what I wanted. Of course I knew that a Quileute elder could tell me much more about the legends being true than a vegetarian vampire who had met one of the said elders more than half a century ago but I just could not get myself to do otherwise.

'It was better this way' a part of me argued and I was too much of a chicken to do otherwise.

He nodded his head knowing that I had taken my decision before taking an old, slightly rusted due to age but still well maintained journal out of his coat that the both of us knew was for appearance purposes as he did not feel the cold.

"In this Carlisle has written everything that Ephraim had told him about shape shifters and also some of his own research. I have marked the important stuff so that you don't get confused by knowing more than required at the moment"

I nodded my head sending him my gratitude as a way of thanking him for all he was doing for me. I still wanted answers on the question of as to why was he doing this but for that I would have to become human again and get the ability of having a proper conversation back again.

He slowly opened the first page of the journal mentioning that he was going to be reading aloud the parts that he thought necessary and whether that was okay with me and I quickly nodded telling him to start with his explanation.

He took a deep unnecessary breath before beginning to talk and tell me all what Carlisle Cullen had written all those years back.

He told me of the early life of the Cullen's, the five of them who had lived together at that time and how they had moved from Chicago to Forks in the year 1936 in search of a place where they could stay for a while longer with the mostly rainy and gloomy weather of Forks being an advantage for them as it gave them the freedom to roam around in the day too without the risk of sparkling under the light of the direct sun. The house that they had chosen was airy and away from humans and the main town so that the recently changed, newborn Emmett Cullen could freely be around without tempting himself to human blood much. He then told me how they had to chose different cover stories and surnames every time they moved as to avoid suspicion and how their cover story for Forks was that Rosalie and Edward were Carlisle and Esme's adopted children with Edward still in school and Rosalie the older graduated sibling still unsure of her future. Emmett had been pretending as Esme's brother who lived with them and their chosen surname was Cullen which was originally Carlisle's surname instead of Masen that they had undertaken while they lived in Chicago.

I listened with rapt attention and fascination as Jasper told me a bit about their life in Forks and how different and simple the world then was from the world today. He told me of their hobbies and how they spent the long hours reading, painting or Knitting before telling me of how the Cullen's had met the pack nearly six months after they first moved to Forks.

It had been a day like any other when Carlisle and Esme had been out hunting and had come across a pack of wolves the size of horses out to kill them. Their instincts had gone haywire all of a sudden with the need to escape which Carlisle had found extremely strange as being the ultimate predator in nature he had never felt so before after being changed. They had just narrowly escaped with deciding to hunt in Canada meanwhile instead while Carlisle tried to find some answers of what these wolves were as they were definitely not normal wolves and Werewolves were extinct due to a Volturi or vampire royalty leader Caius's personal enmity against one.

While Carlisle was out trying to research and talk to anyone who would know more of these wolves, Emmett and Rosalie had had a similar experience with the pack with Rosalie even losing her last toe of the left foot in the escape as it had been ripped apart by one of the wolves.

Carlisle had then mentioned how Rosalie and Emmett had demanded war, wanting to kill these animals but neither Esme nor Carlisle had supported them in this, both of their thoughts on not wanting to harm someone without knowing the reason for their action. They had started being cautious while they hunted as to avoid these wolves but on another day a few months later, Carlisle and Edward had been cornered by these wolves who were growling loudly with every intention to rip them apart.

Carlisle had crouched down to fight as a last resort when suddenly Edward had spoken aloud. At first Carlisle thought that Edward was talking to him but he soon realized that Edward was talking to the wolves as he could hear them in his mind due to his mind reading ability. With the help of Edward then Carlisle had explained to the pack that his family were animal drinkers and did not drink from humans and so their eyes were golden instead of red. The pack had then turned and gone in the opposite direction leaving the both of them there behind.

A few days later though a surprised Carlisle had opened the door to see a young man in his mid twenties who reeked of the same scent as the wolves being trailed by two wolves, the one on the right had a coat a mixture of black and white and the one on the left had a coat the color of chocolate. The man had introduced himself as Ephraim Black the Alpha of the shape shifter pack that resided in La Push belonging to the Quileute tribe and the other two wolves as Levi Uley, the beta and Quil Ateara the second who was the third of the pack. He had then gone on to ask Carlisle if they were to stay in Forks for the time being and incase of so, would they be willing to sign a treaty with the Quileute tribe which divided the common lands with a border and specified that the wolves could not kill them till they did not hunt or harm another human. If they did so the treaty would be considered void.

Carlisle had considered this for a few days before accepting to sign the treaty and meeting the wolves and a few elders on the designated border in the middle of the night a few days later.

I had listened with chills passing through my body as Jasper described how the original treaty signing had been, an air of solidarity around them and how being mortal enemies they had accepted to reach a point of truce with the Alpha signing on behalf of the pack and Carlisle signing on behalf of the Cullens deciding on the rules, the common area and the boundary line that could not be crossed by the Cullen under any circumstance.

Jasper then told me how Carlisle and Ephraim had then become friends with both being pacifists in nature and mature beyond their age in Ephraim's case and how despite of their families not understanding their bizarre friendship, they had continued to be friends.

He then dwelled on what all Carlisle had found out about shape shifters during their five year stay in Forks all the while being on friendly terms with Ephraim Black and I mentally made a note of what all Jasper said.

He first told me of the basics, of how I had descended from the spirit warriors of the Quileute tribe with giving me a brief of the legends that I had already known and heard several times in my life. He then went on to read to me of how the instinct to phase was triggered by the proximity to vampires and so how most probably being around him had caused me to phase. He went on to apologize for it but I stopped him by shaking my head. I had a feeling that irrespective of his presence or not I would have phased.

He nodded his head before telling me the other basics of how my speed of running in wolf form would be faster that a car or how my reflexes too will have improved and my other senses like hearing and seeing will to be affected which though I had already known of.

I listened to him in disbelief as he spoke of how sharp my teeth in wolf form were which could break into the skin of a marble like vampire and how my high temperature would help me in surviving the cold and the ability to stay in the outdoors no matter what the climate was.

I was more surprised though when he told me of the healing abilities that I now owned which would heal any injury within minutes and how I was immortal till I continued to phase. If I chose to continue phasing I would be immortal. The idea of immortality was absurd and I had never really given much thought to what if I had been immortal but now that I had this choice, I planned to think of it through later.

Jasper then told me of how the Alpha of the pack was chosen. Ephraim had been the first to phase being nearly a decade older than the other two and so he had become the Alpha by default. The Alpha's main responsibility was looking after the pack and he also had something known as the Alpha voice that no pack member could ignore or go against….

'Wait' I stopped Jasper with a slight nudge as my eyes widened with a sudden realization. Ephraim was the Alpha as he had phased first so did that mean that I would be the Alpha in case others phased too.

I did not even want to be the Alpha in the first place. I did not want this voice or the other perks that came with this responsibility.

Jasper ignored my curiosity, shock, surprise and fear as he continued reading and I pushed those thoughts too, to the back of my mind to be thought about later.

He then went on to tell me of imprinting, the one magical phenomenon through which shape shifters found their mates or other half's. It was like gravity, suddenly that person was the only one that mattered, you would be whatever they wanted, whatever they needed and with every word that Jasper mentioned my eyes widened and fear filled my pores as I realized why this entire concept felt so familiar.

I had gone through this. Everything that he was saying made sense because I had already experienced it.

Paul and I, the unnamed connection that had formed between us was this. I was sure of that now.

I had imprinted on him.

I ignored all what Jasper said as my thoughts revolved around these five words. I had imprinted on Paul Lahote. He was my mate or rather the wolf's mate but how would this affect the human in me? Were my new feelings towards him because of this? I briefly heard Jasper say something like the Alpha's imprint was the strongest and the pull to be near was the strongest too but I ignored him. There was too much in my mind at the moment to take in new information.

I heard Jasper intake a loud breath as he suddenly stopped talking making me look at him. He looked shocked and even worried and I wondered what he had read to make him react so. I nudged him but he just shook his head deciding against telling me what he had just read.

I sent him my feelings of annoyance and curiosity as he sighed.

"You don't want to know of this, Bella" he said in a firm no nonsense tone

I rolled my eyes. What could be more surprising than all what I had found out right now? Was he going to tell me that I could now get wings and fly around though on second thoughts that wouldn't be so bad, in fact it would be pretty cool to be able to fly and see the world with no restriction or passport needed whatsoever.

His face though was still the same mask, devoid of any clear answer and I sent him my approval of knowing of whatever he had read that had left him so frazzled.

He sighed before turning to look at me "Are you sure?"

I nodded my head as he started to talk.

"Carlisle had taken a blood sample of Ephraim after an injury facing rogue vampires. He discovered that shape shifters have 24 pairs of chromosomes, one more than a human and one less than a vampire. The exact nature of the extra chromosome is unknown, but it may carry the genes needed for the shape shifting abilities of the bearer"

'Okay' I gave him a slow nod not quite understanding how this affected me.

"In short he found out that the gene is somehow passed down only in the Y- chromosome carrying sperm because of which all shape shifters are male. When he told this to Ephraim he confirmed this that only males could phase" he whispered the end but I clearly heard it due to my accelerated hearing.

I tuned out as my mind went blank listening to his words. So I had been correct when I had thought that I was an anomaly, an abnormality. Women could not phase and become this and still I had defied what was true.

I took a step back in dread. I was a freak of nature.

"Bella darlin" he said softly "It is okay to be unique. It is perfectly okay to be the first one to bring change and challenge what is considered normal by society"

I ignored him as I picked up pace and suddenly ran in the opposite direction needing to be alone at the moment, thoughts of my family, the tribal elders, all the legends that I had heard over the years passing through my mind.

My feet suddenly stopped as I came across a familiar house. I had been here just a few hours ago but still I was here again, needing that comfort and safety that just being around him, being around my imprint provided.

I lay on my paws closing my eyes as a tear dropped down my muzzle. Would I ever get to go back home, would I ever get to eat human food again or have a pillow fight with Kim teasing her about Jared? Would I ever get to talk to Paul in human form or read a book lying down in the hammock in the backyard?

Would I ever get to be normal again or was I just destined to be a freak of nature?

I soon let myself let go of every other thought and pain as sleep took over me taking me back to the world of my dreams where I was no abnormality but a normal sixteen year old girl with normal dreams and normal experiences and unknown to my knowledge, my wishes of phasing back to human had come true and I was lying in the middle of the woods in human form, naked and asleep.


	20. New faces and Old ones

Thank you Tommy14, MammaNita4, Taylor9901, Twibookworm, .7334, brankel1, catgrl, Loveforgreeneyes and sarae32 for your reviews. They mean a lot to me.

Part III- Change

Chapter 9- New faces and Old ones

The rays of the morning sun filtered in the room, illuminating it before falling directly on my sleeping body making me squirm in my place in discomfort as I tried to shield myself from its harsh rays by pulling the duvet that lay upon me over the top of my head. The surface that I lay upon was soft and under normal circumstances should have felt comfortable but at the moment, after sleeping on a rock hard uneven surface for the past several days this softness did nothing to comfort me. On the contrary it was heavily uncomfortable and I twisted and turned once again trying to get myself in a more comfortable position as a groan escaped my mouth involuntarily.

"Good morning young wolf" said a chirpy female voice that despite of its chirpiness gave away the maturity and age related seniority of the person who had spoken from somewhere near me.

I almost mumbled a 'morning' before the words caught in my throat when the absurdity of the entire situation and the fact that I was about to speak, not howl but speak caught up with my sleep hazed mind and my eyes widened with a gasp as I sat up on the bed emitting an 'ouch' as I winced when I hit my head on the headboard in an attempt to get up in my state of sleep.

The person who had spoken earlier laughed, her voice sounding like the ringing of bells and I stared in shock as I looked at the unfamiliar woman sitting on a rocking chair in the room knitting a sweater with a huge satisfied smile covering her face.

"Who are you?" I said quickly almost incoherently, rubbing my forehead, as I took in my surroundings that resembled a hardly used bare bedroom of a house I had never been in before, before moving my hair out of my eyes using my hand and suddenly stopping mid-air when I grasped the impact of my action.

I had hands not paws but hands.

With a look of surprise and mild shock on my face I moved the duvet that lay covering me and almost shrieked out in joy as I realized that I was human again. I had two legs and two hands instead of paws. Like a child dissecting a new fascinating toy I rubbed my hands through my skin that felt so different from the fur that had covered my body these past few days before running a hand through my face touching every part of it, almost as if confirming its presence before running a hand through my messy knotted hair and letting a breath out of relief.

I was human. I could not believe my joy. I was human again. I would have jumped and danced in happiness and even part craziness if this same woman who had woke me up in the first place would not be staring at me with something like fascination and disbelief in her eyes.

"You have my Charles's smile" she whispered below her breath, her voice quivering almost as if she could not believe what she had just witnessed. I stared at her in confusion opening my mouth to question her, what she meant and more importantly who she was and why I was here before another voice spoke out loud making me look in the direction from where the voice had come.

"Ellen, I told you not to scare the child" said the woman in a chiding tone, entering the room and I stared in confusion though this time there was recognition too mixed with my confusion.

"Old Ms. Ateara?" I questioned the known face who had just entered the room, in puzzlement and hesitance. Old Ms. Ateara as she was fondly known as on the reservation was Quil the third's sister who if rumors were to be believed lived somewhere deep in the forest alone and every few months or so she would be present at the usual bonfire or with Quil Senior discussing something as they sat on the porch of his house. There was an air of mystery around her at all times and as children we had been afraid to be around her as there were rumors that no one, not even her own brother knew exactly where she stayed or how she managed to survive so far away from humanity all alone. She would come to La Push when she wanted and disappear again when she chose to and although I was no longer scared of her I had to admit she did creep me out a bit.

"Umm what are you doing here?" I asked again when I got no sort of reply from the woman in question.

She gave me a huge blinding grin which honestly terrified me for a few seconds as I had never seen any sort of emotion being shown on her wrinkled face "This is my home. I live here"

I gave her a feeble awkward smile in return not knowing how to continue with this conversation. What was the correct etiquette to respond in a situation like this?

'Okay great, nice house' I thought sarcastically.

"How did I come here and…." I stopped suddenly mid sentence when another realization struck me and I turned towards the one Ms. Ateara had called Ellen in shock "You called me wolf? You know" I whispered the last part almost in disbelief. How could a stranger know of this, our well guarded tribal secret? The idea of her knowing was preposterous, I had never even seen her on the res before but then again how had she known and why did she call me wolf?

She laughed loudly, her voice again sounding like the ringing of bells "I was wondering when you would catch up on that. Qahla here had betted on less than ten minutes and it is exactly ten minutes and forty seconds right now" she said looking at her watch before pointing towards Old Ms. Ateara with a playful smirk on her face.

"Excuse me" I mumbled in confusion and disbelief as I observed the two weird women that stood in front of me who had started bickering on who had won the bet and how and why it had been unfair in the first place with Old Ms. Ateara calling Ellen a cheater and in return Ellen calling her a baby for throwing a tantrum when she lost.

I sighed as I covered my face with my hands. Where was I? How had I reached here? And more importantly why was I in a madhouse?

"Ladies please" said another heavy voice sighing, this time a man's as a young man in his thirties entered the room making my jaw drop as I took in the sight of his familiar appearance.

"Sam" I gasped out in shock realizing even as the words left my mouth that this wasn't Sam. The resemblance was uncanny but almost as if I was staring at Sam from fifteen years in the future with more mature looks and cropped hair. Other than that they looked the exact same. I had heard about each person having at least one doppelganger living at the same time as them but then again what were the chances of me seeing Sam's doppelganger in the same state and same small town as to where Sam lived.

The unnamed man smiled the very same grin that Sam owned before shaking his head slowly "I guess he did get the genes from me though"

All three of them shared knowing looks as if they were privy to some inside joke as I huffed out air in frustration and anger feeling the first signs of shifting start, the evident loud shakes.

"Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?" I shouted loudly glaring at them. I had a million questions at the moment, the biggest being how was I human again and how had I reached here and what kind of cryptic shit were these people up to?

"Language Bella" reprimanded Ellen sternly "I will not have you disrespecting your great grandparents like this"

What? I stared at them for a few minutes as I gulped listening to their words, waiting for them to laugh and say that this was a ridiculous sick joke or show some signs of this being a childish prank being captured by a camera before realizing that these people actually believed in what they had said. They did believe that they, a couple in their thirties were my great grandparents however insane and impossible that sounded.

The three of them were still staring at me as I nodded my head, feeling my head spin and eyes close before suddenly everything faded to black.

X-X-X-X-X-X

I opened my eyes slowly as I felt myself regain consciousness before immediately regretting it and wishing that I had kept them shut instead. The strange woman Ellen was sitting on my bed beside me with a look of worry, longing and sadness on her face.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling now? What happened? How did you faint?" she rambled out question after question not bothering that I was just staring at her in shock instead of replying.

"Who are you?" I asked in a scared nervous tone. I was a strong she wolf no matter the being a freak part. I should not have been scared of an unknown human but at the moment I was truly freaking out with this absurdity and the fact that I was surrounded by delusional people who believed they were my great grandparents.

"Ellen Longtree Uley" she said in an obvious indignant tone "Your great grandmother on your father's side"

"But… But" I mumbled incoherently trying to make sense and put sound to words "How is this even possible. You are in your thirties and my great grandparents died decades ago, like long long back" I waved my hand in air trying to convey this simple fact to her. Even if their eyes looked as that of a person who had seen the world and experienced a lot, their faces and body didn't look a day older than thirty.

Was I in some parallel universe where stuff like this was possible and your dead ancestors could come in the form of thirty year olds and have a conversation with you only to freak you out even more than necessary?

Or did these weird people believe in rebirth or something like that and so believed that they were my great grandparents born again?

I pinched myself once to check if this was a dream but nope, definitely not a dream, I realized as I winced a bit in slight pain.

The same look of sadness overtook her features as she sighed "I guess Levi should tell you everything. You will be able to believe us then"

I kept staring at her in unresponsiveness as the one named Levi who looked like an older more mature Sam entered the room almost like he had heard us talking and knew that he was being called inside the room.

He sat beside me on the other side before looking at me with a sort of kind smile "How about we have this discussion over breakfast? I remember how hungry I used to be as a new wolf"

Almost on cue my stomach growled with hunger and I nodded my head in apprehension. Did he mean he too was a wolf by his words but then why hadn't I realized this when I was in that form of mine? Why had I got the feeling that I was the first one to phase, a sole wolf in a pack?

He gave me a relieved smile before the both of them left the room and I reluctantly followed.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"So you are saying that you are 'The Levi Uley' the shape shifter of the last pack that existed nearly a century ago and you are also my great grandfather because of whose genes I phased in the first place" I said in a tone of disbelief clarifying once again, looking at Levi before changing my gaze to look at Ellen "And you apparently are my great grandmother"

The both nodded their heads like excited kids waiting with outstretched hands for candy making my eyes widen even more from shock.

"I am sorry but I call bullshit" I said munching on my omelette and toast as the four of us sat on the dinner table in Old Ms. Ateara's kitchen who had been just a silent spectator in this entire conversation though I had a suspicion that she too believed in this story of them being my great grandparents. I rolled my eyes I had always known she was a loony.

I sighed as I noticed Ellen glare at me referring to my spoken curse word. Even my mom wasn't this strict on us when it came to language and growing up with two brothers who spoke quite freely and who had friends like Jacob and Quil over who couldn't talk straight without using at least one such curse word in their sentence, wasn't it obvious that I would indeed pick up some things from them?

"I mean I don't believe you" I corrected myself nervously and quickly

"Bella Uley" said Levi in a timbre unusual to his normal voice "I order you to accompany me outside and phase right this minute"

It was a compulsion, a one that needed to be followed and instantly my body pushed away the plate that lay in front of me as I got up reluctantly and followed the man outside, my wolf bursting out of my human skin the second I was physically outside of the house.

My wolf scented the air once noticing that though the man smelt like wolf he did not smell like pack and this put my she wolf instantly on alert of any sort of threat.

I observed as Levi soon ran towards a tree behind where I stood, soon returning as a massive wolf with a coat a mixture of black and white. He growled loudly as he took a step ahead making me cover at my place. He screamed authority and power at the moment and my she wolf was terrified of this unknown threat and thought better of taking a submissive pose. Just from observing this wolf I knew that he was much older and heavily experienced when compared to me, a newbie.

He stood a few steps away from me, the air around us being thick and heavy before I heard a voice in my head which made me look around in shock to find out from where this voice was coming.

"Bella" said the same low voice as I turned around frantically at my place "It is me Levi. When we are phased we can talk and share memories in our minds. It helps in communication when we have to fight vampires"

Almost as if someone had lowered a curtain memories started filling my mind, memories that I knew did not belong to me, images of a young boy who looked exactly like Sam falling ill with a fever and body ache only to phase into a shape shifter a week later, of the same boy being the second to join the pack that only consisted of his Alpha, a man who had been a sole shape shifter for months with a third boy joining their pack a few months later.

As the images of patrolling and killing vampires, with treaties signed and shape shifter related information being narrated filled my mind, I realized that I had already heard a part of this same story but from another's perspective and the sudden realization that Levi was saying the truth made me stumble at my place in shock.

"Now do you believe me?" said Levi as he came to stand opposite me

I nodded my head not trusting myself to say anything at the moment, even if it was in my own head. But how was this possible? People don't wake up from the dead like this and I clearly remembered my mother once telling me this that Levi and his wife Ellen had passed away in a car accident when accidently their car had fallen over a cliff on a stormy day when my grandfather was still in high school. We had been asked to do a project on our family tree a few years back and so I had asked my mother this then. Their bodies had never been found but it had just been assumed that that was due to the current in the water on that day.

He sighed almost like he had heard my thoughts before he gave me a resigned look "I think we should talk about this inside"

I nodded my head in answer but he had already disappeared behind the tree by then. He soon came back in his human form wearing the same clothes as before.

He started walking towards the house before stopping midway and looking at me "You do know how to phase back right?"

I shook my head immediately. I had run away yesterday before Jasper had come to that part of the explanation and so had no clue. I didn't even know how I phased back last night. The last thing I remembered before everything that had happened this morning had been that I had fallen asleep somewhere outside Paul's house.

'Paul'

Just thinking of his name left a pang of longing in my heart.

He raised his eyebrows before sighing and shaking his head "I thought you knew" "Okay phasing back is very simple and like with almost all simple answers, you think of it last. You just have to think human thoughts. Calm down, clear your mind and imagine yourself as a human, doing human things, things that you can only do as a human. It will take some time in the beginning but you will get used to it. I will be inside if you need anything" he started to move towards the house before stopping again and looking at me a bit awkwardly though "I will send Ellen with some clothes. Hopefully Qahla will have something else that would fit you"

I looked at him in confusion as I remembered the baggy sweats and tee I had been wearing when I woke up. I frowned when I realized that they were definitely not mine but then what had happened to the clothes I had been wearing before I phased. Sure they would be dirty by now but wasn't that better than nothing at all?

He chuckled probably by the expression I had donned "Your clothes don't phase with you. Every time you phase unexpectedly they will tear. Look at the ground where you are standing"

I complied and soon noticed the stray pieces of cloth that were lying on the floor around me. They were literally shredded into a thousand pieces.

"Yeah so I will send Ellen" he said ignoring my shocked expression and going inside the house leaving me there behind.

I shook my head trying to clear my mind. What had Levi said? Think human… things you can only do as a human…

I closed my eyes as I thought of combing my hair, painting my nails or of the rare times when I would doodle aimlessly on a paper and soon I felt similar shakes to the one I experienced when I phased but these were lighter and slower in comparison and suddenly after a few minutes it stopped all together. I opened my eyes slowly taking in the eerie silence around me observing that we were somewhere deep in the forest in a house no one would easily find and if I would not have been a wolf, I would definitely have been anxious of being here alone.

How Old Ms. Ateara lived here alone, I had no idea.

For a few minutes I stared at my own body that looked familiar yet at the same time different. It seemed like I had developed muscles overnight as my body was much more muscular and well toned than before. I had never been on the heavy side or even categorized myself as skinny before but now it seemed like I was perfectly toned almost as if I had been working out for years now.

I ran a hand through my tangled mess of a hair and face before deciding that I really needed a shower and a comb later on to brush the tangles out of my hair and look more like I belonged to civilization.

I saw Ellen come out of the house with a set of clothes in her hand, which she quickly dropped near the back door shouting that I should dress up and meet them inside and I soon got dressed and with a hesitant sigh prepared myself for a few well needed answers.

When I entered the house the three of them were sitting on the living room couches waiting for me with expectant looks on their faces and I rolled my eyes at the bizarreness of the entire situation before facing them.

"How could I hear your voice in my head and why did it feel like an order when you told me to phase?" I asked looking at Levi.

He gave me an amused look "That is your first question? I was expecting something much more serious than that"

I shrugged "I will work my way from down to up"

He nodded his head and took a deep breath before starting "Like I said when we are wolves we can hear one another in our minds. It helps us in fighting vampires and to answer your second question, you felt it as an order because I am a member of the previous pack and so senior to you"

"So we are not in the same pack" I clarified

He nodded his head "No you are the sole wolf in your pack while I am the sole wolf in mine. We can talk to one another though but it takes more effort"

"So that is why I hadn't heard you in my head these past few days?" I confirmed

"Right" he said with a slight nod "Someone forgot to mention this to me that you had phased out of the blue" he said with a glare at Old Ms. Ateara who shrugged in return.

"I told you Levi, each person has their own journey to complete to reach a destination and she had to do this without your knowing and involving"

I nodded my head "How did I reach here? I had phased back outside Paul's house… I mean in the woods"

Levi and Ellen gave me confused and slightly amused looks before looking at Old Ms. Ateara for her to give the answer.

"Will you believe me if I say magic?" she asked, her voice twinkling with mischief

I shook my head immediately before realizing that that was the only answer I was getting from her. I sighed when no one added anything else and looked at Levi ready with my next question.

"Okay so sorry for being so direct but how are you alive?"

Levi and Ellen shared looks with one another almost like they were sharing a private conversation before Levi answered "That is a long story but one you need to know"

He took a deep breath before continuing "A year or so after the Cullens left Forks, nearly five years after they had first moved here causing the three of us to phase, we decided that there was no longer a need for us to phase anymore. The threat in our opinion was gone and so we could go back to our routine lives and this was exactly what we did. We stopped phasing getting back to our lives and families, marriage, kids, work… for seven years this was the life of us three but then suddenly one day a coven of nomadic vampires attacked our tribe causing the three of us to phase again and kill them. Luckily being equal in number we somehow managed to kill them but because of that incident we again had to start phasing but this time for how long, we had no idea of that. To know of this Ephraim who was our alpha consulted the spirits"

"What the spirits said exactly was only known to Ephraim as he was said not to share this with us but the gist of it according to Ephraim was that one of us had to keep phasing as our guidance would be needed when the next pack forms, which is your pack"

"So is there going to be some trouble coming to the tribe that we would need a previous pack member to help us?" I asked worriedly

He shrugged "Honestly I don't know. Ephraim knew but he could not share it with us as that was what the spirits had demanded. All he said was, we will know when it comes"

"So, why you" I said before adding quickly "I mean no offense but shouldn't Ephraim have been the better option. He was the Alpha and knew what the need to keep phasing was"

He gave me a small smile "None taken but for that you need to know a little more of the unknown legends"

He gave out a light cough "Do you know of imprinting? Qahla told me a bit about how you found out the other things from our mortal enemy and I must say I am a bit surprised"

I blushed before nodding my head "I know of imprinting"

I decided not to add the other part being that I had already imprinted. I just did not feel that this was the right time to tell them of this.

He nodded his head "So the legend states that in every pack generally the Alpha can mark his mate. She is the only one who can be marked out of all imprints. The marking basically makes the imprint immortal too as long as the shape shifter phases and gives her other things like fast healing and good reflexes…"

"So that is why Ellen looks like she is in her thirties?" I interrupted him

He nodded his head taking Ellen's hand in his "She was the imprint marked from our pack"

I looked at him in confusion "But you were not the Alpha?"

"Yes I was the beta of our pack. But when the possibility of one of us continuing to phase till the next pack formed came up, Ephraim chose to give this choice to me and Ellen as you see, his wife and imprint Martha had been diagnosed with cancer, last stage and even with the mark she would not have survived and eternity is a long time to live without your imprint and Quil and Annie never wanted to live forever in the first place. Annie had the responsibility of her younger sisters and in no way could she leave them"

"Then what happened?" I whispered nervously

"I marked her and continued to phase for the next few years and she too kept looking of the same age. Our children Douglas and Charles, who is your grandfather grew up and started attending high school when we realized that people were starting to get suspicious of our ages and more than that our own children had started questioning us on why we were not looking any older than thirty. We had no choice left. We would have to leave. As I had promised Ephraim that I would keep phasing we would have to leave La Push and disappear for a few years at least"

"So you both faked your own deaths?" I asked after a few minutes of silence

Levi squeezed Ellen's hand who was crying as he answered "Yes we hated it but we had no choice. We could not tell our children as only pack members and imprints could know and so we staged our deaths and moved to Seattle to begin a new life. Only Ephraim, Quil the second and Qahla here knew of this and Qahla knew only because the spirits speak to her. We did not need to tell her this. She already knew" he said with a small smile.

"So she called you back when I phased" I summarized

He nodded his head "She was told to keep an eye on the tribe to see if someone phases and call me up when they do and finally last night after all these years of waiting, I got a call from her saying that the first person of the next pack had phased. I came to know that it was you, my great granddaughter after I came here but I must say I thought Sam would have phased first. He is older and…"

"A boy" I completed his incomplete sentence "Why me but? I am a girl and girls can't phase. Only boys can…" I shouted frustrated throwing my hands up in the air "I am a genetic freak"

"Child look at me" said Old Ms. Ateara who had been silent in this entire conversation, firmly "You are not a freak. Just because it is not written does not mean that it is not possible and just because a few misinformed sexist people thought that girls cannot phase or should not phase, it does not make you a freak. There is always a first to begin something new and in no way is that person a freak or any different than anyone. If anything that person is stronger or more capable of leading and so is the first…"

"But" I interrupted her

"Let me finish" she scolded me "have you heard of Marie Curie?"

I nodded my head confused "Of course"

"She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize for her discovery that led to the use of radiation to treat illness. Junko Tabei was the first woman to climb Mount Everest, before her no woman had been able to do that. Kathy Switzer was the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon and she completed it in the age when women weren't even officially permitted to enter the Boston Marathon. There are many many such women who have proved that they deserved to bring change in a society that deemed a woman unfit of being there or doing that and they struggled a lot to reach there. Now you will argue that their and your circumstances are different" she said looking at me answering my unspoken question "But a struggle is still a struggle be it in any form no matter how big or small it is. Fighting even one person's ideology is still a fight and you should be proud that you got the chance to prove that the legends are wrong and woman can too phase. Prove it to them that you are a capable wolf and even better alpha"

I nodded my head not knowing how to react to all of this "Alpha, does that mean that I will be the alpha when others phase, if others phase? I said looking at Levi.

He nodded his head "Yes the first to phase is always the alpha and that would make it you when the others will phase"

I gave out a resigned sigh. I felt exhausted suddenly. Everything that had happened since morning suddenly felt like it had taken a toll on me.

"But I don't even want to be the alpha?" I whispered under my breath

"It is a matter of pride child" said Levi sympathetically "And I am proud that my great granddaughter the first woman to phase ever is the alpha"

"Now listen to me Bella" said Old Ms. Ateara in a stern voice "Once the news of you phasing and being the alpha reaches the other old farts who sit on the council, there will be disagreements and there will be many who will say that you should step down for your brother or mate to lead but don't. I know you are capable of leading or the fates would never have done this"

I nodded my head tired. I needed time to process all of this "Can I take a shower?"

"I will show you the bathroom" said Ellen getting up from the couch and leading me out of the room.

"I am going to call my brother Quil. It is time for Bella to go home" I heard Old Ms. Ateara say before I shut the door of the bathroom.


	21. Going home

Thank you Cokey90, MammaNita4, Tommy14, sarae32, catgrl, .7334, Taylor9901, Loveforgreeneyes, brankel1, Kedrane and the guest reviewers for your reviews.

Part III- Change

Chapter 10- Going home

18….

No, 20…..

Maybe 22…

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" asked a voice all of a sudden, snapping me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at the person who was standing by the door of the room with a set of spare clothes in her hands.

I sighed with a dejected look on my face as I wrapped my arms around my torso. A part of me knew that the direction of my thoughts at the moment had been silly and maybe even juvenile but still I could not stop myself from thinking about it.

"Anything you want to share?" Ellen asked with a genuine smile as she entered the room and handed the set of clothes to me, making me blush at the realization that I had probably been standing here in the same position of staring in the mirror, lost in my thoughts, for quite some time now wearing only a thin towel but in my defense I had had a lot on my mind.

I shook my head with a small smile deciding against speaking on it.

"I could have worn the clothes I had been wearing earlier. It was not much of a problem" I said politely. Now that I knew how quickly the clothes I had on would tear if I phased all of a sudden without giving them much of a thought, I was even more conscious of the fact that these were not my clothes to tear and throw and a part of me even felt bad for unknowingly destroying Old Ms. Ateara's set that I had on when Levi had asked me to phase during breakfast.

She shrugged "Don't worry. As a new wolf you will go through a lot of clothes because you don't have much control over your anger. I remember the days when Levi would run out of cutoffs every three days and I would have to go shopping for them once again, twice or sometimes even thrice in the same week. Apart from the huge dent it created on our monthly expenses, it was pretty embarrassing to explain in the small store in Forks where everyone knew everyone, why Levi needed so many pair of cutoffs and that too so often. I remember this once, Levi had run out of clothes having torn pretty much everything that he owned and we were tight on money in those days so for four days till I got my salary and went shopping first thing, Levi had worn his wedding suit everywhere from work to the grocery story, to the beach, to get his car serviced …" she trailed off.

A laugh left my mouth at that visualization "When did you both first meet?"

Her face lighted up at the question as she took my hand in hers and pulled me towards the bed so that we could sit and talk, all other things forgotten for the moment "We were childhood friends turned lovers. You know we were married when he phased for the first time?"

"What" I asked her surprised

She nodded her head with a small smile "We got married at seventeen in a tribal ceremony and he phased for the first time three months later. Luckily he imprinted on me once he was back in human form or I don't know how I would have lived without him"

"Wow" I whispered in awe at the genuine look of happiness and love on her face "Can that really happen though? That you love someone else but imprint on another?"

She gave a slight nod "The legends say it can, an imprint can be anyone, even a stranger whose existence you have never known of and irrespective of whether you are in love with someone or even married to them an imprint will occur but fortunately something of this sort never happen in our pack. Levi imprinted on me and Ephraim and Quil were not involved with anyone when they imprinted"

"Oh" I whispered "That would be terrible if it were to happen" "Has this ever happened before?"

She nodded her head slowly "It has, only once has something like this been recorded in the legends. Centuries ago it was believed that imprinting was rare and so there was no need to wait for 'the one', that misconception though was cleared when in our pack all three of them imprinted, and so a Quileute shape shifter decided against waiting for his imprint and got married and had children with his wife. For years they were happy and they just assumed that he would never have imprinted either way"

"And then he did" I whispered softly, a part of me hoping that she would contradict me and affirm the opposite though I already knew that my hope was a wasted effort.

She nodded her head again "He did and surprisingly on his own daughter's best friend when she was in her teens. It was terrible and a major disaster with everything going downhill all at once. No one had expected something like this to happen, with him even thinking of quitting phasing in a few months"

"Then what happened?" I asked curiously, mildly escaping the urge to bite my nails in nervousness.

She sighed looking at me sympathetically "Bella, an imprint is very difficult to ignore or try to move on from once the imprint has occurred. Once you imprint on someone, you are tied to them and that works both ways, for the shape shifter as well as for the imprint. It is like every priority, wish, and desire of yours changes to accommodate them in your life and there is a constant pull and need to be around them that no matter cannot be ignored. They also say that a shape shifter falls ill or can even die if his imprint rejects him and so even though that shape shifter tried to fight the imprint and be with his wife, it was futile in the end as he just could not stay away from the girl who was his imprint"

"Oh" I whispered shocked "That is awful"

My thoughts flitted around Paul as I took in Ellen's words. Luckily I had not been seeing anyone or in love with someone at the moment or how difficult would the entire situation be, to be in love with one but be magically tied to another….

"It is worth it though you know" she said almost as if she had read my mind

"Is it?" I asked half as a question and half in a sarcastic manner "I think it is pretty awful that his wife and children had to suffer apart from the guilt and suffering that he himself went through"

She sighed "Nothing is perfect in life and nothing worth having comes easy. Don't people make sacrifices and compromises in a normal relationship? Doesn't it happen that sometimes after years of being with a person you fall out of love with them?"

I opened my mouth to interrupt her but she stopped me.

"I am not saying it happens with every couple but it does happen. People separate and no matter how painful it is, sometimes it is for the best for the two people involved in that relationship"

"But this was because of an imprint" I protested loudly

"Yes it was" she said "But an imprint only points you towards that person who is important in your life and gives you the push needed. You fall in love at your own pace. It is almost like a blinding light pointing in their direction telling you or rather your wolf to keep this person safe. The wolf imprints but the man falls in love"

"But does every imprint have to be romantic?" I asked her curiously

She shook her head "It doesn't, at least the legends say it doesn't but I don't know of any shape shifter who has not shared a romantic relationship with his imprint. Bella, that devotion, that level of adoration is difficult to find. Imprinting is beautiful. I know that you must be thinking of that shape shifter and his wife but I have seen the other side of the coin. I always knew Levi loved me but after he imprinted on me that love turned into something even more powerful. It is the security and knowledge of always being together in love and happy that highlights the word 'Imprinting'. But don't think that it doesn't have its downsides. Every good thing has a bit of bad in it and every relationship comes with its share of compromises and adjustments"

She gave out a chuckle that was more serious than of laughter "I would be long dead if Levi hadn't imprinted on me and probably I wouldn't have had to leave my children and disappear. I would have seen them marry and have children but instead I had to see them mourn for their parents who were alive. It was difficult but still I don't regret it. You know why? Because I have Levi, the person I love the most in life. Yes I hated leaving my children like this but still a part of me was comforted knowing that they ended up living a good life even if it was away from us both. I know you probably don't understand all this but you will when you imprint and fall in love with that person who is meant to be your soul mate and his happiness will matter the most to you"

I shook my head. No I didn't understand this. I still felt terrible for that shape shifter and his wife no matter the fact that he probably lived a happy life in the end and hopefully his wife did too but still even after being imprinted myself my thoughts on this matter were conflicted. Now that I was back in my human form and could control my actions without the wolf's interference, my thoughts on the matter were clearer than before. The wolf constantly had a pull, almost like radar that told her where her imprint, Paul was and she at all times wanted him safe and protected. He was her mate or supposedly his wolf would be assuming he phased too but where did that leave the human in me? I had liked him as a child. He had been one of my first serious crushes or maybe even more than that but love? Love was a serious word and I didn't know if I had loved him or not. I had always assumed that falling in love took time. I had never believed in the saying 'Love at first sight'. In my eyes it was rather infatuation than love. Sure I had seen couples like Sam and Leah and Jared and Kim around me who swore of marriage and togetherness but was I ready for such permanency in my life? Imprinting was permanent, forever. You never got rid of it no matter what circumstances you faced in the future and was I ready for something this 'forever like'? I was only sixteen. I didn't know even if I wanted this kind of forever in the first place.

My she wolf whined at the direction of my thoughts but I ignored her. It was easy to be an animal. Mating was simple and wolves mated for life. It had been nearly four years since I had seen Paul. Four years was more than enough for a person to change. We had been friends earlier but what if Paul didn't want anything to do with me this time around? How would I deal with that then? Would I fall ill like Ellen had said happened to shape shifters who were rejected by their imprints?

A fleeting thought passed through my mind stumbling me at place. Was I getting ahead of myself? Did I, the human even want to be with Paul in a romantic manner? We had been friends and yes, I had liked him but wasn't sixteen way too early to be confident of your forever. What if I regretted imprinting on him in the future? What would I do then? Would we even have a way out then? Normal couples had it but what about imprinted ones?

"All okay?" asked Ellen bringing me back to the present "You look terrified"

I shook my head plastering an as much fake smile that I could manage on my face "I am fine" I croaked out.

"So you want to tell me what that was about?" she asked pointing towards the mirror "I have a doubt but I would rather you tell me"

I sighed before whispering "I don't look sixteen anymore"

With the change to a shape shifter, my height that had hardly been 5.3 before was now close to 5.9. My hips had widened and so had my breasts and muscles were now prominent on my body. The scariest part though was my face. A new kind of maturity could now be seen on it. My features were now of a mature woman out in the world rather than an adolescent still finding her place in the world. I just did not look sixteen….

She nodded her head in understanding "The first time you phase you mature physically too. It is a big change as emotionally you remain the same but physically you skip a few years and look older but trust me you will get used to it as, as long as you phase you will look the same like you do right now. You know the first time Levi noticed his physical change his chest puffed out in pride"

"Why?" I asked confused

"His logic was that he looked all man now" she said rolling her eyes as I chuckled with her.

"You will get used to it, don't worry" she said reassuringly

"I guess" I said playing with a stubborn strand of my hair that was completely tangled and messed up with several knots.

"You know that that is not going to come out right?" she said pointing towards my hair

I nodded my head. Even after taking an hour long bath and using ample of soap, shampoo and conditioner to cleanse my body and hair of the dirt, mud and filth that it had acquired living in the woods, I still felt somewhat dirty though I had a feeling that I would have to have multiple showers to get rid of this feeling.

"You know I used to be a hairdresser back in the day. I worked in a hair salon in Forks" she said bringing my attention to her.

"Really" I asked her surprised

She nodded her head "So if you are willing I can give you a change and anyways as a shape shifter shorter hair is easier to maintain. The longer your hair the longer the fur and messier and dirtier too once you phase back"

I thought about it for a few minutes, deciding that there was no harm in change before nodding my head with a smile "Let me get dressed and then I am all yours"

X-X-X-X-X-X

"So do you like it?" asked Ellen hesitantly as I stared at myself in the mirror admiring the work she had done to my hair.

"It is different but I like it" I said after a few minutes of silence "Actually it looks great. Thank you" I added almost immediately with a smile.

She just smiled back as she started putting her things back in order letting me look at myself once again in the mirror. My hair that had originally been touching the middle of my back was now cut in a chin length bob that Ellen had very sweetly blow-dried for me and looked really good.

Ellen turned to look at me as if to say something when suddenly the both of us heard a loud voice coming from the living room downstairs.

"Is this some kind of joke Qahla?" said the angry yet familiar voice I immediately recognized.

"That's Quil Sr." I said to a surprised Ellen as she motioned me to follow her back to the living room. I sighed once as if mentally preparing myself for the drama that was about to occur before leaving the safety of the room.

Levi, Quil Sr. and Old Ms. Ateara were all facing once another when the both of us entered the living room and instantly all eyes were on me. Levi and Old Ms. Ateara were calm and trying to do the explaining but Quil Sr. was literally fuming with anger and in no mood of listening to them.

"All these years Qahla" he shouted tightly grasping onto his walking stick "For all these years I kept asking you where you lived, how you lived so far and more importantly why, but you kept ignoring my questions and concern and now all of a sudden you call me up asking me to come here, God knows where, in the middle of the woods and somehow when I reach here you tell me this cooked up story of our sacred legends being true, Bella, who has been missing for days and more importantly is a girl, being a shape shifter and this man who no one has ever seen before in La Push, you tell me he is Levi Uley, the same Levi Uley who is mentioned in our legends. So I ask again, is this some kind of joke?"

Old Ms. Ateara just rolled her eyes as Levi frowned in exasperation before mumbling "Let me. It will be easier to just show than tell"

He then led an unwilling Quil Sr. who was still protesting out of the house no doubt to show him the truth by phasing and I heard him mutter under his breath how he was tired of being the circus clown and how he was much better off in Seattle where he was treated normally instead of a man who has risen from the dead, which left an amused look on my face.

"Something the matter?" asked Ellen curiously as she saw me hide my smile with the back of my hand.

I pointed to my ears clarifying "Wolf hearing"

Her mouth formed an 'oh' before she nodded her head in understanding "It is both good and bad. Of course you hear more clearly from afar and it helps while patrolling but you also end up listening to stuff that were not for your ears in the first place"

"As in?" I asked her confused

She gave out a laugh "I used to have a bad habit, if you can say so, as a teenager"

"What bad habit?" I asked her puzzled

"Whenever I was angry I would mutter obscenities under my breath in a way that no one could hear them but still I would get rid of my pent up anger. One day we were having dinner with Levi's parents and his mother who was a total stuck up bitch, mind you was as always taunting me telling me of how her son had settled for someone like me. Forgetting that I was around a person with supernatural hearing I started cursing her under my breath and Levi heard it. It was hilarious yet totally embarrassing when Levi turned to look at me with eyes widened and I realized my mistake"

I gave out a laugh before remembering something "Hey you cursed. You were the one to tell me not to curse in the first place"

She just shrugged "I am older. I can curse and anyways I don't see anyone older than me roaming around here for it to seem disrespectful"

I just nodded my head at that "True that. You will not find many older than you both"

No matter the fact that she looked thirty physically, she was close to a hundred in reality.

Suddenly Levi entered the house again with Quil Sr. following him looking like a fish out of water.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he said looking at Old Ms. Ateara who just shrugged in reply.

"But she is a girl" he continued rambling on "Girls can't phase. I will have to go back and call a meeting with the council. Then we will have to read through the legends properly finding out what all we have missed and then…."

"Quil" chided Old Ms. Ateara interrupting him in a tone that one used for a mischievous toddler who was up to no good "I know you are busy and I understand completely but can you take out a few minutes out of your precious time to drop Bella home. I called you here for that you know"

I covered my mouth with my hand to cover my laugh at the sight but it still came out like a cough. It was funny seeing our supposed tribe elder being chided like he was a naughty child who was being dismissed.

Quil Sr. frowned "Why can't you do it yourself?"

Old Ms. Ateara just shrugged with a simple smile "Because I want you to do it, younger brother"

Quil Sr. pouted before nodding his head and waving his walking stick in the air "Let's go Bella"

I quickly hugged Old Ms. Ateara who told me not to be a stranger and come over whenever I could now that I knew where she lived before hugging both Levi and Ellen who were planning to move back to La Push to be closer to the tribe in case it was needed now that I had phased, before following Quil Sr. out of the house. Even though I had technically only met Levi and Ellen this morning and spoken to Old Ms. Ateara for the first time today it felt like I had known them for much longer in fact.

"Do you mind if I phase and run beside you?" I asked as soon as were out of the house. My wolf was clawing within me to phase and run in the thick foliage that was her home.

He shook his head seeming to be still in shock over the fact that I was the first female shape shifter and I quickly phased into my wolf remembering to tie my clothes to my leg before phasing this time around as to not be naked when I finally phased back to human again.

As I emerged from behind the tree, I took slow steps keeping my posture submissive as to not scare Quil Sr. with any sudden motion but he seemed to just shake his head still looking at me in shock before starting to walk in the direction of my home leaving me alone to my thoughts.

The feeling of going back 'home' felt surreal. Though it had just been mere days since I had fallen ill with a fever and had phased for the first time, it felt like an eternity. So much had happened since then. How long had I hoped for this day to come and now when finally I was back to human and was on my way to go home, it felt like a dream, a dream that was about to be true though.

I thought of Jasper and our weird ritual of meeting outside the cave or by the lake every day. Would he have been worried of my whereabouts when he had not found me in the cave this morning? Would he have searched for me only to end up empty handed or would he have resigned and gone home knowing that he was not allowed on the res due to the treaty and so even if I had run into La Push there was nothing he could do about it.

With a quick mental nod of the head I made my decision of going to the cave once after meeting my family to tell Jasper that I had phased back, I owed him at least that for all he had done for me, and to ask him the reasons as to why he had helped his mortal enemy in surviving. He could have easily killed me or even left me alone to find things out on my own but he hadn't and this fact still somewhat bothered me and left me curious.

I could feel the nervous jitters in my stomach as with every step I moved closer to my home. I was excited and even scared of what I would find and how would everyone react to my reappearance and I found that this anticipation was slowly killing me.

"We are here" said Quil Sr. in his normal grim voice pulling me out of my thoughts and I found myself taking a deep breath in to calm myself down. With a quick nod of the head, I ran to the safety of the trees and phased back to human adjusting my t-shirt and sweats to look decent. I ran a hand through my hair and face in an attempt to look clean before walking out of the trees back towards where Quil Sr. stood waiting for me.

"I will have to talk to the council about this and we will need all the details of your change so that we can document it" he said in a firm authoritative voice as I nodded my head. I knew how serious the elders of our tribe were when it came to documenting stuff of importance and any new development to our legends was a mighty big topic of importance for them.

I quickly walked to the front door before knocking on it twice, crossing my fingers in nervousness. With every soft murmur or incoherent noise that I heard from within the house, I could feel my heart beating faster and I tightened my grip over the hem of my t-shirt which at the moment felt like the only thing keeping me in control however unusual that sounded.

I counted the seconds as the steps that led to the door became louder and very soon the door was opened from the inside and I saw a figure staring at me in shock and surprise before a few tears stained down her cheeks.

"Mom" I said immediately hugging her as she wrapped her arms around me in a gesture to comfort the both of us. I could feel that she was crying and I could relate to it too. I knew how worried my family would have been at the way how I had disappeared.

"Where had you been?" she asked pulling me inside the house but still keeping my hand in hers as if she needed to reassure herself that I was really here.

I looked at Quil Sr. for the answer as I had heard Old Ms. Ateara tell him the story that was to be shared back in La Push when people asked of where I had been these past five days. I had wanted to disagree with Levi when he had told me that I was not to tell anyone not even my mother of this as only elders, pack members and the imprints could know the truth but then he had said that we would talk about this later and that had been the end of the discussion, well at least from his side.

"What are you not telling me?" asked my mother suspiciously looking between the both of us

Quil Sr. coughed once before divulging in the story of how in the condition of my sickness I had stumbled through the woods surprisingly reaching Old Ms. Ateara's house and how she had been the one to look after me and nurse me back to health but having no way to reach Allison and knowing that I should not be moved in such a delicate condition, she had waited for me to finally get back to normal which was this morning. Old Ms. Ateara had then called up Quil Sr. who had come to get me and this was how I had come home again.

"Hmm I see" said my mother skeptically nodding her head as Quil Sr. finished what he had to say.

"I should leave now" said Quil Sr. with a cough, when my mother did not add anything to her original skeptical sentence.

"I will see you out" said Allison as the both of them left towards the front door and I quickly fled towards my room to avoid the questions that were no doubt going to come.

"Ah back home finally" I said aloud with a dramatic sigh of relief as soon as I opened the door of my room and took in the familiar sight of my personal belongings. I had always heard of there being comfort in familiarity and even though I did not consider myself to be materialistic, I was glad that I was going to get to sleep in my own bed with my own duvet and get to wake up to a familiar sight in a known routine. Maybe monotony was not always bad I figured as I went through the rack of my books.

"Bella" said Allison's voice as she entered my room making me shudder in nervousness. Yeah I had clearly wanted to avoid this discussion with my feeble nonsensical attempt to escape to my room though in hindsight I should known that that would have made no difference to the situation.

"You want to tell me what that was about?" she asked coming and standing in front of me.

I shrugged in fake ignorance "Quil Sr. already told you everything"

"Yeah?" she asked raising her eyebrows no doubt not believing a word of that story. I knew it. I had told Old Ms. Ateara that it was a pretty unrealistic cover story but she had confidently said that it would work.

She ran a hand through my now shortened locks making me feel guilty for lying to her and also completely disregarding my story of being ill for this long as no one generally went for a haircut directly out of the mouth of death.

"You know Bella" she said making me even more nervous "A mother can tell when her child is lying or is saying the truth. Call it a mother's intuition if you want"

"I can't tell you" I shook my head whispering in a volume barely audible to me too.

"Isabella Marie Uley" she said raising her voice in a tone that meant business

"I am a shape shifter" I suddenly blurted out. Well consequences be damned I realized after blurting out the truth. Allison was my mother and even though Levi had told me against telling her or anyone anything I was still going to try to convince him otherwise.

"What" she asked clearly shocked at my confession

"Mom I…" I started when I was suddenly interrupted by another voice

"Sam, you need to rest. You have a fever" I heard Leah shout as the noise of someone hurriedly climb the stairs resound through the house.

I looked at my mom in confusion as she clarified "He was worried. I called him up though he himself has been ill since the past two days with fever and body ache"

I nodded my head trying to connect the known dots in my head when with a loud bang a shaking Sam and a worried Leah entered my room.

"Where have you been?" asked Sam with a glare

Uh-Oh!


	22. Familial bonds

Thank you sarae32, brankel1, .7334, Loveforgreeneyes, catgrl, Kedrane, Tommy14 and Cokey90 for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 1- Familial bonds

"Where have you been?" asked Sam with a glare

Uh-Oh!

Two things I noticed with full clarity at that very moment as Sam glared at me waiting for me to answer were that first and most importantly the shakes that Sam was currently experiencing were in no way mere shakes of anger or frustration or even shaking caused by a high, life threatening fever. In fact I would even go as far as saying that Sam could be phasing any time soon now and the second thing I noticed which was equally if not more important was that Leah was standing right behind where Sam stood and if Sam were to phase unexpectedly he would cut right through Leah scarring her permanently or probably even killing her unknowingly which in no way was something that should be happening… ever… with anyone.

"Sam" I said in a worrisome yet firm tone "You need to calm down"

My first priority at the moment was to get Leah away from Sam to safety and then to get Sam in the shelter of the woods so that he could phase for the first time without anyone seeing him or him harming anybody unknowingly. I had been lucky to not be around other humans when I had phased for the first time but now that I knew of the risks involved, I was even more careful to avoid any mishaps of such kind.

"I asked you a question" Sam growled out loud, his shakes increasing with every word spoken "Where have you been?"

"Sam, I need you to calm down now" I repeated even more firmly, my voice changing slightly and coming out as more authoritative and powerful instead of just being pleadingly forceful.

What was that? Why did I feel like my voice suddenly oozed power? My tone was of a completely different timbre, one that I had never known of before. I would have to ask Levi of what this was and meant for me.

Sam stopped in his tracks all of a sudden, his shaking having violently stopped as if some exterior force had commanded him to stop at the very moment and had rendered him unable to move anymore.

"What was that?" he asked suspiciously and curiously narrowing his eyes at me

"What" I answered somewhat confused at his question. Had he somehow felt the power that had radiated from my tone?

"I felt a compulsion to obey what you said. It was light and could be ignored if fought hard but something within me just forced me to obey instead of trying to fight it" he said hesitantly

I shrugged in ignorance. I had no idea of why he had felt a 'compulsion' to tend to my words.

A nagging thought hit me hard. Was this because of the change in my voice earlier?

Wait! Was this because of me being the Alpha?

Levi and even Jasper had mentioned how the Alpha had special powers within the pack so was this one of the Alpha's crazy powers, getting stuff obeyed by others no matter whether they wanted to comply or not?

But even if it were Sam was not a wolf yet so how and why was he forced to obey me? I would have to talk to Levi about this… well as soon as possible.

"Bella" said Leah bringing my attention back to her. She came near me from where she had been standing behind Sam and gave me a brief hug before squeezing my hand gently "Where have you been? We had been so worried"

I returned her gesture with a smile as I followed up with the story Old Ms. Ateara had told me to share with everyone to justify my missing status for the past few days. Anyways my lie wouldn't matter soon as Sam would phase and once he would imprint on Leah, the both of them would be in the knowing and so apart from telling my mom, I would not be breaking Levi's imposed rule of not telling anyone.

"I was ill with fever. I reached Old Ms. Ateara's house in the forest and had been there since the past five days recovering. When she thought I was well enough to leave she called Quil Sr. and had him get me back"

"You don't look ill any longer" said Leah, her tone not one of suspicion or malice but instead one of genuine concern for my health.

I smiled with a small shrug "Old Ms. Ateara is pretty much a genius when it comes to the tribal medication and home remedies to treat a person"

"You will have to give me her number in that case" said Leah lightly though the worry in her eyes could be seen "Sam here has been ill with fever and body ache for the past three days now. I think he has caught the same virus as you had. It is a constant war these days in our house. Sam needs to rest but is unwilling to do so. He just wants to go out of the house, to God only knows where" she said rolling her eyes while simultaneously glaring at Sam who was standing stoic almost as if deep in thought.

I nodded my head hesitantly 'Oh Leah if only you knew how similar our contacted 'virus' was'

Sam spoke all of a sudden "Why didn't she call one of us? We could have come to get you instead of waiting in worry like this"

"She thought that I should not be moved from the bed I had been resting on under any circumstances and she did not have your or mom's number" I said explanatorily. A part of me felt guilty for lying with so much conviction but I pushed that part down, it would not matter in a few days time anyways.

Sam opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by Allison's cough "I think this is enough for now. I need to talk to Bella in private and Sam you need to rest no matter what you think. You are still running a fever. You can talk to Bella later"

Sam nodded his head stiffly as if he wanted to do anything other than rest at the moment before he and Leah turned to leave the room, Leah giving me one last smile saying that she would come back here after driving Sam home making sure to abide by all the speed limits Sam had broken in the first place when he left their house to come here after Allison had called informing them that I had returned and also making sure that Sam had the soup she had prepared and kept before sleeping.

I gave her an amused look knowing very well that she was more worried of Sam's health than he himself. Maybe this was what love was, putting someone else before you, putting someone else's health and happiness over yours knowing that their well being truly mattered in your life.

I sighed. Was such love in my destiny? The love that Sam and Leah shared or Kim and Jared or even what Billy and Sarah had shared before Sarah had passed away. Even today, after all these years when I would go over at the Blacks, I would often see Billy staring at Sarah's photo with so much love and devotion in his eyes as if he was counting the days till he would be able to see her again.

Did love like this really exist for all or was it only given to a selected few who turned out to be lucky in life?

"And before I forget" said Allison making all of us look at her "Give Embry a call. The poor boy was going frantic with worry when I spoke to him last this morning and also give Kim a call, even she has been calling me every few hours to ask if there was any new news"

Crap! A frown covered by face as shame and guilt enveloped me for being such a terrible sister and friend. A part of me was exceptionally grateful that I had such a caring and loving family and friends but another small part of mine was dreading this same caring at this point, lying being omission was okay when it was to Sam and Leah as they would know very soon but what about Embry and Kim, both of them knew me so well that they would definitely not believe any lie and telling them the truth was out of question.

I sighed as I thought of Embry being worried. Even though everyone assumed that I was closer to Sam from our behavior and his apparent concern over me that was a bit far from the truth. In reality though I was close to both of my brothers, while Sam and I shared a typical older protective brother and younger loving sister relationship, my relationship with Embry was more of close friends who could tell each other anything and while he tried to act all protective, it was me who was the protective one. He was my baby brother no matter the fact that he was a fourteen year old teenager in reality.

Sam and Leah nodded their heads assuring us that they would make the calls before leaving the house to go back to their place in Forks.

"So you want to tell me what that was about?" said Allison as soon as the front door closed, making me turn to look at her. Her arms were crossed over her chest and a firm look of determination covered her face.

"I told you I am a shape shifter" I said shrugging nonchalantly. I guess the novelty of being one had diminished considerably over the past few days. It almost felt normal now like this was a part of me.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times staring at me in shock as I went and sat on the bed waiting for her to react.

"But how?" she whispered finally

"The Quileute legends are true" I said with a shrug

"Oh" she whispered with a crestfallen expression "I am so sorry Bella" she said as she came and sat next to me on the bed.

I gave her a confused look "Why are you apologizing?"

"It comes in the gene, doesn't it?" she said questioningly though it was more of a statement than a question.

I nodded my head. I had seen in Levi's memories how everyone who phased would have to have some connection to either him, Ephraim Black or Quil Ateara the second as only they three had the power to pass the gene being a part of the last pack.

"It is not your fault" I said shaking my head as my tone picked up a bitter edge to it "If anyone is to blame it is Daddy dearest for passing the gene to me"

"Bella" she gasped in shock knowing very well how I refused to even acknowledge who Joshua Uley was. Ever since I had found out about my being adopted, I had never been comfortable talking or even referring to myself as Joshua Uley's daughter, the man who cheated on his wife and impregnated an already married woman no matter the fact that she too had consented. I knew that I had no right to judge anyone but still in my book this was unacceptable and so in our house we never spoke of Joshua Uley, the man who left us, our family. Sam and Embry had been all too willing to agree to this. Sam too had his own demons to face when it came to Joshua Uley and Embry, poor Embry did not even know why his 'birth father' had rejected him even before he was born. At least Joshua had not known of my presence but with Embry he had known yet…

I had heard this same story a few times over the years and yet every time I thought of it, my heart would break a little while I would feel my motherly instincts appear making sure that Embry never suffered in his life again. Almost a year after my birth and nearly nine months after Joshua had left Allison and Sam to fend for themselves, he had reached the Makah reservation looking for a place to stay and had met Tiffany Call who was fresh out of high school and who had instantly fallen in love with his charismatic charm and good looks. A whirlwind affair was what had followed and when Tiffany had told him that she was pregnant with his child, Joshua had refused to even talk to her any longer, telling her that he refused to believe that this was his child. He had accused her of cheating and forcing another man's child on him before Tiffany had slapped him and had left his house cursing her for falling for such a pathetic excuse of a man.

But unfortunately being a single mother at the age of eighteen was not an easy place to be and to make her circumstances even worse her parents who were of the orthodox nature and were not very supportive of sexual relations before marriage asked her to leave the house and go. Having no other place to go and no one to rely on for the longer run, Tiffany had come to La Push hoping that Joshua's tribe could help her out, if not him. Here on her first day itself she had seen Allison pushing me on the swing in the playground while Sam was playing in the sand nearby and on hearing Allison's surname when she had asked if she had known any Joshua Uley, Tiffany's world had literally fallen apart at the realization that Joshua was already married with two children. She had cried facing Allison begging for forgiveness at having unknowingly been one of the women to ruin her happiness and had told her everything of how her and Joshua's relationship had started to the fact that she was pregnant with his child.

Allison had asked for some time to accept and think over this before she had reached the conclusion that Tiffany, who knew no one in La Push and was completely alone at the moment would need someone to help her out and anyways the unborn child was her own children's brother or sister and she could not keep a child away from his/her siblings no matter what happened in the adults who were involved lives.

"Bella, are you okay?" said Allison bringing me back to the present, wiping a tear that had fallen from my eyes. I had not even realized that I had been crying.

"How are you so strong?" I whispered in complete reverence "I don't think I have that much courage in me to accept whatever life throws at me"

She gave me a confused look as I clarified "Tiffany Call"

She nodded her head in understanding as she sighed looking at me "Bella, what happened between Joshua and me… the only two people who are responsible for it are us both. I cannot blame anyone else for it because it would not be true. He chose to cheat on me, neither Renee nor Tiffany or anyone else before or after made him do it. Yes it hurt me beyond words. I had loved him but I cannot take that out on anyone else. Now I had two choices I could have become bitter, removing my anger on everyone and everything and I often felt like walking down that road in the very beginning but then I would look at Sam and would come back to my senses realizing that my son needed me. He needed his mother to be strong for him no matter how broken she was on the inside and then you came into our lives and once I saw your innocent face I knew that destiny had laid for you a very tough hand having lost both of your parents so early on. At least Sam had me, his mother and so not making you a part of my family, a part of me was never not an option. You were my daughter since the minute you walked into this house on that day" she took a breath as if to form the next sentence "Accepting Embry was a bit tougher though. I had nothing against him, he was a completely innocent baby after all but it was the reminder of Joshua having left me and moved on. With you I could still pretend that Joshua had probably not meant it but this, this was more permanent. But you know it was you who finally helped me in accepting Embry as not only Joshua and Tiffany's son but as someone who I looked onto as one of my own, a part of my family"

"Me?" I whispered surprised and in curiosity

She smiled "You were this protective guardian of his since the minute he was born and you saw him in the hospital. You always wanted to be around him no matter he was feeding or sleeping and because Tiffany had to go back to work and you would cry for hours at stretch if Embry was not around you, I started babysitting Embry. It was easy for me, I could still look after you three while I worked in the shed on my sewing machine and soon after spending time caring for Embry and seeing him growing up in front of my eyes I started to love him like he was my own but you know it made Sam very jealous" She laughed at the last part shaking her head.

"Huh why" I asked confused at that statement

She laughed as her face took upon a glazed look as if she was reminiscing about those days "You were his baby sister Bella and he loved it when you looked up to him for when you did not know how to play a game or had a question in mind and when your attention shifted to the newborn Embry, he did not know how to react. It took me hours to convince him that you still loved him and not only Embry"

"Wow" I said slowly almost in a disbelieving manner "I have no memory of any of this"

She nodded her head "The good old days of childhood you forget most of it as you grow older" "And Bella" she added as her voice took on a serious tone quite unlike the topic we had been talking on "You are stronger than you think. Never forget that in life"

X-X-X-X-X

I was exhausted, well mentally more than physically. It had been a really long day since I had first come back to the world of humanity and still I was somewhat surprised by the fact that there were hours to go before my day ended and I could catch up on some well needed sleep. It honestly felt like my day was a season of 24 at this point and every hour of the day was stretching to infinity.

Okay I know I know that that could be a tad bit of an exaggeration but really it did feel so at this point.

After having a long and interesting conversation with Allison where she told me more of my childhood incidents that I had forgotten due to being too young to have any memory of, we discussed everything shape shifter and how similar what was noted in the legends was to reality. I had told her of everything that had happened in the past few days from my first phase till waking up this morning barring Levi and Ellen's existence as I was not sure if that fell under the category of well guarded tribal secrets or not. I had also refrained from outright telling her of Jasper being a vampire as I knew from Jasper himself that that were laws in the vampire world that put every human who knew of them at a risk and so I had neither confirmed nor denied the existence of vampires just telling her that a different kind of supernatural being had helped me find out and adapt to this life. I hoped that even if she would have figured out that missing part of the puzzle, her suspicion not being confirmed would be enough for her to not fall under that 'risk'. It was different for the imprints though as being a part of the supernatural world through the shape shifter, who imprinted on them it was okay for them to be in the knowing and of course tribal elders who knew the truth knew but other than them no human could know of the identity of vampires.

By the time we had finished with our conversation though, my first confrontation had arrived or Embry as I knew my younger brother to be.

He had literally demanded to know where I had been and how I could just disappear like this before hugging me like his life depended on it. He had then sat next to me and told me of how he had begun dating his first girlfriend or at least he thought they were dating, them becoming closer during his period of worry and sadness over my absence while I had oohed and aahed seeing the innocence and happiness on his face and in his voice

A few minutes after he had left having promised his girlfriend Abigail that he was taking her out for a movie with Allison driving them to Port Angeles, my second confrontation of the day in the form of my best friend arrived.

Kim was livid. I had never seen her like this angry and she had literally threatened to kill me if I disappeared like this again. The irony that she was much shorter than me and now that I was a shape shifter much weaker than me too, was not lost upon me but looking at her angry face I had not dared to laugh no matter how much I wanted to.

She had then given me a brief of what all had happened in La Push over the past few days with the look of a compulsive gossiper on her face. Shockingly when I was here nothing interesting ever happened in La Push and I go for five days and boom Kim has gossip worth of days to tell me.

While we gave each other mani- pedis, her logic being that I really needed it as it looked like I had become best friends with Tarzan and munched on a pizza she had told me a bit about one of our classmate who had been caught giving a BJ in the janitor's room and how it was all over school at this point. She had then delved into the highlight of her gossip… the return of one Paul Lahote.

I had tried my hardest to mask my expressions as to not let her know that I already knew of this and how much this small piece of information was affecting me and I don't think she had realized as her expression did not change at all. She had gone on to tell me that she and Jared had gone over to his house to welcome him back to La Push and how different he had looked and what all she had seen there.

I had never known of the intensity in jealously before. My face was burning red as Kim narrated to me the incidents of that morning and all I wanted to do as I listened to her was rip off Jane's head from her body.

With being a superhuman being I had full confidence that I could actually achieve it or I could always ask Jasper to help me out a bit here. No one would really even miss Jane anyways…

But coming back to the topic, I had never known of such anger before in life. I was fuming and burning with jealously as I thought and over thought of that same moment again and again pondering over the why, how and what's.

How could he? Had they known each other from before? Were they together or was it just a once thing?

I knew that I had no right to question his past. Everyone has a past you just learn to accept it and the rational part of my mind argued relentlessly on this but another more primitive part growled in anger.

'Paul is mine, only mine. No one else's but mine'

The irony that I had declared that he was mine and he did not even know of this was not lost upon me. A part of me argued that the 'yet' was still to come though.

"Bella" said a familiar voice in my head bringing me back to the present where I was phased as a wolf running through the woods trying to let out some anger that had made its way in me when I had heard of Paul and Jane nearly an hour ago.

"Yes Levi" I said connecting to the connection between us that existed when we were wolves. The best way to explain this connection was like a simple phone call. I had the choice to decline or accept.

"Are you okay?" he asked noticing the anger radiating from me at the moment

I shrugged putting a tight lid on my thoughts to avoid him from knowing of them. I was still not very convinced with sharing them with anyone at least not till I knew what I wanted and how I was going to go about with it.

"Levi, I have a question" I said in my head ignoring the fact that talking in my head sounded exceptionally weird.

He gave me a mental nod telling me to continue as he kept patrolling the areas around Old Ms. Ateara's house.

I sent him the mental image of Sam and his shakes adding that I had a feeling that he would phase anytime now.

"You are correct. He is close" he said finally with evident pride in his voice

I nodded my head forgetting that he could not see me "But why isn't his phase like mine? The first time I phased I was in and out of consciousness for days and I could not even get up from my bed but Sam is roaming around and apparently he has no desire to rest"

He chuckled at my confusion "Bella, does every person feel pain to the same amount? Why do some people experience more pain than others in the exact same situation? It is just like that. No two phases are the same as not two bodies and minds react the same way. Some people have it worse or easier than others. There is no one correct way in this"

"Oh" I said in understanding asking my next question of the alpha voice which too was confirmed by Levi on being actually there. He explained to me that maybe Sam's wolf was very close to the surface and so he could feel the order falling on him though he had not phased yet.

"Where are you going?" he asked me seeing the luscious green foliage in my mind as I ran across the greenery. It was still an absurd concept to grasp that we could see and hear everything from another's person's eyes and ears. Whatever Levi heard or saw I saw or heard, only smell could not be replicated though you could still get an essence in your mind of what the other person had smelt.

I sent him the mental of Jasper and I sitting next to the lake that though was just yesterday's it felt like it was years ago.

"I need a few answers" I clarified

He gave me a mental nod "Okay be careful and if you need me howl. I am going inside the house for some time"

I nodded my acceptance before continuing towards my old cave and the lake nearby.

Jasper was sitting by the lake throwing stones in the water when I arrived and on smelling my scent he immediately turned, a smirk covering his face instantly.

"I thought you had disappeared on me"

I shook my head looking back towards the trees and towards my clothes that I had tied to my leg before running behind the tree to phase back.

I quickly phased into human wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top before leaving the trees to walk towards where Jasper sat.

"So I see you phased back into human" he asked raising his eyebrow at me. His expression was somewhere between happiness and sadness.

"Yeah" I said nervously hating that we were back to small talk after becoming such good friends these past few days "Just this morning"

"How" he asked after a few minutes of silence

I shrugged "Phased back in my sleep"

I knew I was being vague and I even felt guilty for hiding stuff from him when he had openly told me everything of his world but a part of me was worried of over sharing and telling him stuff that could put our tribe in danger.

I trusted Jasper no doubt but didn't he have a mind reader brother who could hear every thought of his?

"So" he drawled out in uncertainty quite unlike the confident person he generally was

"Why are you here Jasper?" I asked hesitantly

He shrugged nonchalantly "It sucks to be the only non-mated one at times in your family"

I nodded my head. I could surely relate to that.

"I meant why did you help me out? We are mortal enemies…"

He interrupted me "Isn't it just enough that I helped you out?"

I shook my head "No I need an answer and I know this was really not out of sympathy so why"

He sighed before nodding his head as if deciding on something.

"Bella" he started slowly "I have told you quite a lot about vampires and our natures, Correct?"

I nodded my head, not knowing where he was going with this.

"But there is one more thing that I left out. We vampires have three bonds in life that are irreplaceable and unavoidable and once joined cannot be broken. The first is the sire bond, the most important. You generally don't go against your sire as he or she is like a parent or older sibling. I am Peter and Charlotte's sire and in a way responsible for them. Carlisle is Edward, Rosalie, Emmett and Esme's sire. Now Alice did not know who sired her and so she has no sire bond to speak of. It is like an always prevailing gap in the back of her mind. You can leave your sire if you choose to but it is no doubt difficult to leave them and there are also cases where the vampire has returned back to their sire"

"The second bond that exists is mating bond. One look and you know who your mate is and you can never leave them or not love them. They stay with you till the end of eternity"

"Like an imprint" I added

He nodded his head "Yes exactly like that"

"Carlisle- Esme, Rosalie- Emmett, Peter- Charlotte, Alice- Edward are examples of this. The third and rarest of the bonds is the familial bond. There is rarely ever any evidence of this bond existing in vampires. I only know of one, Peter and another nomad named Garrett. It is basically a bond of family as the name suggests. That other person becomes like a family member to you, stronger ties than with any coven member or even with your sire. Just like you would do anything for your family you would do anything for them and fight anyone to protect them"

He took a deep unneeded breath "I had always thought that this bond can only be between vampires, a human and vampire sharing a familial bond was practically unheard of" he chuckled "Add into that a shape shifter and you have an enigma in your hands"

"You mean…" I whispered in shock understanding the meaning of his words

He nodded his head "That day in the bookstore when I bumped into you, my instincts recognized a familial bond between us"

"What" I said aloud in shock as my mouth dropped open.


	23. The first words spoken

Thank you sarae32, .7334, brankel1, catgrl, MammaNita4, Twibookworm and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 2- The first words spoken

'How can life change so very drastically in just a matter of a few days?' I pondered with a frown 'It is almost like a conspiracy in action. Everything was so much different and probably even better just a few days back…and now' I let out a sigh at the direction of my thoughts.

"Could things be any worse?" I muttered sarcastically aloud almost instantly adding "This was definitely not a challenge or a wish"

I looked above me to whoever heard and at times well sometimes fulfilled our wishes, or at least that was what I had convinced myself to believe as a child who liked to dream, as I said the last few words. You can't be too careful in life and you never know which thick soup your sarcastic one liner said in the tone of annoyance could land you in.

"You know talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity" said a familiar voice from the outside of the rolled down window of my ancient yet beloved truck.

"Jake" I said with a grin, my bad mood easily forgotten under the power of his cheery positive grin that could easily make even a crying person smile. I opened the door of my truck leaping out and standing beside him holding my bag to my shoulder with one hand and using the other to place it on my hips in a sort of intimidating posture though he just grinned back larger unaffected.

"And how would you know that?" I asked raising my eyebrows using a playfully rightful tone

He shrugged "Because I am smart"

I rolled my eyes "Sure Sure"

He laughed loudly gaining us a look from the passerby as we attempted to make our way to the front office walking on the little stone path lined with dark hedges.

"So are you okay now?" he asked suddenly, his face extremely serious now as he picked up the topic of my health that everyone in La Push believed to be not so good just a few days prior.

I shrugged nonchalantly "I am alive and breathing so yeah"

He sighed but did not add anything, gladly as we saw two figures walking towards us, one leaning slightly on the other's shoulder as she rubbed her sleep filled eyes.

"How the fuck are you so cheery on a Monday morning? Have you even looked at the time" she said looking at me and Jake with a look of pure disbelief on her face.

"Good morning to you too, Kim" I said with a resolute smile as Jared wrapped his arms around Kim most probably to calm his girlfriend down who looked almost on the verge of going and murdering the person who invented a clock, who by the way was already in a grave and maybe even the person who decided that school would start at the crack of dawn each day.

'Oh wait! Maybe she could begin the process with our school principal' I thought with a chuckle at my own random stupidity.

"I really hate this you know waking up early and shit. Why can't we just get to sleep, for once?" said Kim with a frown as she glared at the people around staring at her probably wondering who left this crazy person out.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" she shouted scaring the poor kids who were most probably still freshman away.

Safe to say, Kim was not much of a morning person.

"I feel like I am in a museum" said Kim looking around at the crowd assembled around us in the parking lot "Haven't they ever seen anyone native before in life? We are not from a different planet people" She scowled glaring at them.

I nodded my head giving my agreement. It sure seemed like that from the looks the people around us were giving us at the moment.

"You know what sucks more?" said Jared "The fact that we have to drive to school an additional twenty minutes now instead of just leaving minutes before school started"

We all mumbled our agreements to that. Waking up early and driving to school was most probably the worst part of my new phase of life. I had lived all my life at the distance of a stone's throw from my school, walking to and fro everyday and now all of a sudden I had to drive to Forks every morning to attend Forks High instead of the tribal school all because of a silly Sophomore who decided to bring some amusement in his boring life.

The incident in question had occurred nearly a week back coincidentally on my first day back to school. I had been ready to join back the world of normalcy much before that but Levi had enforced that I needed training to be calm enough as to not phase when around others who knew nothing of our world and then we had had a vampire problem in the area because of which all my sleeping, eating, doing whatever random stuff I did in a day, time was put on a back burner making me even quit my job at the bookstore and Levi and I patrolled in shifts of twelve hours each, though we always had to be on alert in case we heard an emergency howl by the other but then again the feeling of pride when I had dismembered that vampire had been worth it for all these troubles. And then the biggest change of all had occurred in the form of Sam phasing and joining my pack making me the Alpha of the pack.

He had phased after a fight with Leah over stuff as ridiculous as grocery shopping and luckily both Levi and I had been phased when he had phased for the first time. We had guided him to the cave I had inhabited at first and it had been a long few hours of explanation which had followed as we told Sam everything from the legends being true to Levi's identity and my true reason of disappearance. It had also been a few long hours of growling and chasing a running Sam who had decided that running to Canada was the best solution at that moment and finally after hours of unsuccessfully trying to make Sam phase back, Levi told me to go to Sam and Leah's place and cover for Sam's disappearance and calm an angry Leah down. On the upside though, knowing where Sam was in reality and why he could not be around Leah, I had managed to calm her down giving her a quick excuse of why she could not see Sam for the next few hours as he needed to calm down and was currently talking to Allison at our place.

Nearly fourteen hours later and after countless lies spoken by Allison reassuring Leah that Sam was there but wanted some time to himself regretting having fought with her or was sleeping or talking to Billy who was visiting and would call her back in a few minutes, finally Sam had returned back to their house, back in his human form. He looked slightly different and older, though I had already expected that but other than that he had not undergone any rigorous transformation. He still looked the same but older and Levi's words of 'every phase being different' had filtered in my mind but then again that could be due to the fact that his teenage or better known as age of change was almost over while I was still in that phase when I phased for the first time.

I had crossed my fingers in excitement and nervousness as Sam had faced Leah for the first time expecting to see another imprint occur in front of my eyes but it had felt like everything around had shattered to pieces when Sam's facial expression had not changed at all when his eyes met hers. He had still looked at Leah with the same love in his eyes like before but there was no gravity or life changing movement that had occurred between them and the same had been confirmed by Sam when I had asked him about this. He had not imprinted on Leah, the one who owned his heart and the only one he wanted to spend his life with.

It had been painful to say the least to be in his head as he had tried convincing himself that the certification of the word imprint was not needed for him and Leah. He loved Leah and that would not change, ever. The tougher part though had been the fact that he was not allowed to tell Leah who, though was an elder's daughter was not a part of the pack or imprints. He had pleaded, argued, shouted and even begged but it had all been futile as Levi who was still angry at me for breaking the rule and telling Allison, had forced an Alpha of the older pack order on Sam which was even higher than the Alpha order which I could have passed. The entire council who now knew of Levi and Ellen had supported this decision and so having no other choice Sam had been forced to lie or make excuses to Leah for all these days. I was also of no help to him as the same order had been issued on me stopping even me from telling anyone other than a wolf or an imprint.

This all had again changed four days later when Emily Young, Leah's cousin had come to La Push to surprise Leah on her birthday and in her party itself Sam had imprinted on Emily, the only two people aware of this had been me and him and while everyone had celebrated, Sam and I had had no reason to laugh and be happy. Sam was my brother and Leah, she was one of close friends almost an older sister and their happiness was now at risk.

The next few days and nights felt like all the stars and the moon in the sky had disappeared leaving behind only darkness as Sam refused to talk to anyone, his mental thoughts filled with guilt and self hatred. He loved Leah but also could not stop himself from running down to the Makah reservation everyday to see Emily. It had been a brief period of turbulence which had ended with Sam knocking on the door of our house one day late at night.

I had opened the door and had stood shocked as the first words out of his mouth had been 'I want to fight the imprint'

Having no other choice and thinking of my to be sister-in- law, I had alpha ordered Sam to stay away from Emily though I had hated to do so. It was unfair I had argued, to be kept away from your imprint. I knew the pull, I faced it every day but Sam had literally begged me to do so, not understanding my reason for hesitance. A new interesting tidbit that I had found out though had been that the Alpha could guard their thoughts. Not everything leaked out of the curtain we could place in our mind when phased with others. Sure a few things got out still but nothing that I wanted Sam, who was also my brother with being a pack mate to know and I equally tried to ignore his thoughts when he thought of things no sister would wish to know about her brother. It was tough sharing a head with your brother though.

His decision to fight the imprint had led to an uproar within the council as except Harry and Billy no one had supported this decision of his. I had been surprised with Levi's vote of no but he had soon explained that he only wanted Sam to be happy in life and fighting an imprint was not easy. It would take months and Sam would go through a lot of pain during this while apart from the fact that Leah would end up hurt too if Sam could not fight the imprint in the end giving into the pull. He believed that Sam was just delaying the inevitable and should let go before things got worse but Harry, another council member had supported Sam's decision with tears in his eyes as he thanked Sam for not breaking his daughter's heart and leaving her broken while she was forced to see Sam with her own cousin Emily as they spent their life happily together.

The effects of fighting the imprint had already started showing itself in Sam in the form of anger and constant rubbing of the chest and for the past days I was constantly on Sam's watch, so that he would not phase and hurt Leah in his fit of anger and annoyance. He was in a state of conflict. While his wolf wanted Emily the man in him only wished for Leah. I was told to patrol with Sam at all times and be constantly on alert to see if anyone new phases or is showing the signs of phasing and these all things had led me with no time to see my own imprint.

I sighed internally. It had been more than a month since Paul had moved to La Push but still I had not seen him face to face in the form of a human. The only time I got to see him was during my nightly patrols when I passed his house and at times heard him talking to a woman named Cherry. Though their conversation would be considered harmless, the surge of jealousy that would spread through me would be unavoidable, strange but unavoidable.

"What are you thinking Bells?" asked Jake bringing my attention back to him. I saw that even Embry and Quil had arrived during my moment of being lost in my own thoughts and were now talking to Jared and Kim.

I shrugged as I turned to listen into their conversation of the conflicting views on whether going to school in Forks sucked or not.

"It totally sucks. Just look at the way these bratty girls look at us" said Kim with apparent disgust "Like they are superior to us. It is disgusting"

I followed her gaze to see a group of Forks high students who were talking within themselves pointing fingers at us Quileutes every few minutes almost as if the thought that we now shared a school with them was unimaginable. I know they were not happy with this decision but then neither were we and no student of La Push High would want to be here, in the first place.

"I think they are looking at us just fine" said Quil drooling and winking at one of the girls who was admiringly looking at him as if she had won the lottery. I rolled my eyes. Of course everyone knew why the female teenagers of Forks preferred to come till La Push every weekend. Of course First beach was a reason too but it was not the only reason for them to do so.

"I too think they are looking at us just fine" said Jared shaking his head as Kim glared at him, almost as if demanding him to take her side in this argument. "I mean I don't think so but if Kimmy thinks so there has to be some truth in it" he added immediately as the rest of us chuckled and Quil boomed loudly.

"I have never seen a guy more whipped than you, Jared. It is almost like she wears the pants in your relationship" said Quil with a sigh of pity

"Hey" Kim protested

"Careful Ateara" said Jared firmly in a threatening tone

"Or what will you do" said Quil mockingly, making the action of thinking hard with his hand "Ask Kimmy what you should do ahead?"

"You are dead, Ateara" said Jared as he ran behind a running Quil in an attempt to catch him and give in a few hits. Jake and Embry followed them both laughing and equally cheering on them leaving me and Kim behind.

"I guess we should get our schedule and map" I said after a few minutes "The boys will follow once they are done chasing one another around all through the campus"

Kim nodded her head with a laugh as we walked the steps to the front office.

"I miss our school. A statement I never thought I would be saying in life" said Kim with a roll of the eyes "Why did it have to burn down?"

I shrugged "Ask that sophomore that"

Nearly a week back in the chemistry lab, a bored sophomore had decided to ignore every safety instruction given when facing hazardous chemicals and when the teacher was concentrating elsewhere, he had decided to pursue his curiosity and bring some amusement in his life by mixing two chemicals. The two chemicals he had chosen unknowingly were known for being potentially dangerous when mixed and an explosion in the middle of the chemistry lab had been the end result. The class had been quickly evacuated but by then the fire than had started when the test tube fell to the floor, had quickly spread to cover more areas. The entire school had been evacuated using the fire safety drill but by then it had been too late. Fortunately there were no severe casualties but a part of our school building was now completely damaged leaving us without a school for a while.

And so while the tribe raised money for rebuilding the school premises, the younger ones were either being taught in the remaining part of the premises or were currently on holiday and us the older ones… were stuck here.

Owing to the fact that our curriculum was pretty much the same as Forks High, the principal had made temporary arrangements for us to be accommodated here so that we would not miss out much on our studies and so all the grades from Freshman to Senior were now supposed to come to Forks High every morning and interact with the students of Forks instead.

"Who are they?" asked Kim in curiosity, pointing towards five abnormally beautiful people standing at a distance next to a silver Volvo talking within them.

'Ah the Cullens" I thought wrinkling my nose as their scent invaded my senses. Of course they would be here too as they pretended to be teenagers still in High school. My eyes widened as a random frightening thought entered my mind, vampires and potential shape shifters were now going to be in the same building together forced to face one another every day.

Crap! That is like sending a written invitation to trouble to come into our lives and make it worse for us.

Jasper caught my eye as he was leaning on the hood of the Volvo surrounded by his 'siblings'. There were four of them apart from him. A big burly guy had wrapped his arms around a blonde with golden hair cascading down her back.

'That should be Emmett and Rosalie' I figured from the description Jasper had given me of them.

The couple on the other side of Jasper was a pixie who was bouncing around in excitement and another boy who looked the youngest and had severely messed up hair that was sticking out in all directions.

'Edward and Alice' I thought 'Wait the mind reader" I corrected myself looking at Edward who was busy talking to Alice.

'Edward, can you hear me? I am talking to you' I shouted in my head trying to get a reaction from him. If he could then I would have to learn to guard my thoughts even as a human as there was no way that I wanted him to be a spectator to every thought in my head.

'I know you and your family are vampires' I said trying once again but again no reaction, no head jerk to even indicate that he was hearing into my thoughts.

Was he ignoring me? Or maybe he just couldn't hear me in his head?

Was that even a possibility? I would have to ask Jasper about this. If someone would know it would be him.

The thoughts of my conversation with Jasper about familial bonds entered my mind all of a sudden. I had been terribly shocked on that day as Jasper had explained to me what familial bonds were and how his instincts had recognized one between me and him. For the first few minutes I had stayed silent, too surprised to even react but then I had asked him the most important question 'How'.

Jasper had shaken his head saying that there was no known reason why familial bonds were formed. No one knew in actuality but he had heard a few theories which were as good as true. After Peter, the one he had sired and Garrett another friend of theirs, had found the familial bond existing between them, they had researched on their family trees to see if somehow there was some link between them connecting them as family. They had studied Peter's who was younger that Garrett, family tree and they had soon come to the finding that Garrett's father and Peter's great grandfather had been brothers and Garrett's father had run away from home as a child finding a new life for himself and so Garrett had never known of this family of his, and so he and Peter were actually related though they would never have met if Garrett had not been changed into a vampire or even Peter for that matter.

After listening to this example I had asked Jasper if he thought we too were related somewhere down the family tree line and he had just nodded telling me that he wanted to give it a try to see if he could find anything. The both of us knew that it could not be from my father's side as that was Quileute so Jasper had asked me for Renee's details to see if he was somehow related to her ancestry but I had drawn a blank not knowing anything more than her first name. Jasper had then taken her name from me and had contacted someone named J. Jenks in Seattle asking him to find everything he could about her as soon as possible. Three weeks later Jasper had confirmed the suspicion telling me that we were actually related to one another. Renee's grandmother had been Jasper's sister Bessie Whitlock who he had never known what had happened of. She had gone on to marry George Higginbotham who lived in California in those days, having one son George Junior who was Renee's father and so this was how Jasper was related to me, a far away relation but still related.

Fair to say Sam had not been pleased when he had found out about any of this. He was thankful to Jasper for helping me out but he still made a face whenever his name was mentioned in a conversation or when I told him that I was meeting Jasper. I on the contrary thought that they would make great friends if given the chance to interact but that theory was yet to be tested.

Jasper on the other hand had decided that he having never known his nephew or grand niece was going to be like my uncle from now on, no matter the fact that he looked to be of my age and was eternally a teenager and so in this completely warped up way I had found myself with an uncle.

"Did he just wave at you?" said Kim with her mouth gaped open wide as she looked at me who was in turn staring at Jasper who had just waved at me ignoring the looks his family members gave him at talking to someone out of their family.

"Wait… Is this Jasper?" she concluded with an excited grin turning towards me, her eyes asking for details.

I sighed as I nodded my head. Yeah this was him.

"How could I have forgotten? He studies in Forks high too" she said in a teasing tone "Wait why you were not excited to be here then?"

I sighed as I opened my mouth to say that it was not like this between us. She was getting it all wrong. He was like an uncle to me for heaven's sake when I was interrupted.

"Bella Uley, is that you?" said a voice I had last heard only in my dreams last. I turned quickly in a hurry to see him. My heart was beating louder and faster than usual. His face muscles were strained almost as if he was tense and worried about something or someone. His hands were tightly lying by his side as he waited for my answer with a look of unusual nervousness on his face.

"Paul" I mumbled out loud after a few minutes of silence.

A/N: So I know that this was a shorter and more of a filler chapter than otherwise but life has been hectic. I have started a new internship which is leaving me with long hours and a ton of workload but hopefully it will be helpful for my career in the long run. I am NOT abandoning this story. I do plan to complete it but please bear with me for a short while as there will most probably be shorter chapters and even delayed posting. Thank you for reading.


	24. Jealousy is a human trait

Thank you Twibookworm, .7334, catgrl, MammaNita4, sarae32, Kedrane, brankel1 and anonymousvoice for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 3- Jealousy is a human trait

Paul POV-

"Bella Uley, is that you?" I asked unsurely and even with a bit of hesitance as I walked towards the two girls standing a few steps away from me in the parking lot, talking to one another. The other girl, the one doing the talking, I had easily recognized, being Kim and having seen her earlier with Jared on the day that they had come over to welcome me back in La Push and had 'heard' Jane from my bedroom upstairs but the other one, standing beside Kim and doing the work of listening with an expression of surprise and even mild disbelief on her face, she was familiar and I instantly knew who she resembled in this small Quileute reservation where everyone knew everyone and generally no one new, hardly if ever moved here.

She was taller, well obviously I had expected that with me being gone for four years, it would be stupid not to but even after knowing that both Sam and even Bella's mother Allison were comparatively taller than most Quileute men and women respectively, I had not imagined that Bella would have such a good height and an hourglass figure to accompany it. She had never been overly thin or overweight but now she was just of the perfect size that complimented her height and looks in general. She was built in all the right places but not overly so and even in just a pair of casual jeans and a loose fitting sweater sans make up she could easily rival a top notch Victoria's secret model.

I thought back to the twelve year old Bella that I had known as an image of hers laughing and playing on first beach filtered through my mind. She had been so radiant in her simplicity as she had made sandcastles with the younger Seth and Embry not worrying a bit about her clothes that were spoilt or her hair that had sand in it. She had never needed or even liked make up or fashionable clothes so as to say to look beautiful. In those days when all the girls around us in school were trying on these flavored lip glosses and that eye thing… mascara mostly and wearing shorter skirts even in a freaking terrible weather like ours to get the boy they liked to notice them even if they themselves shivered due to the cold, Bella would roll her eyes every time she saw such girls junior and senior both applying and re-applying makeup and pulling their skirts higher up in the washrooms and would later on laugh when she would narrate the same scene to me. She was all about comfort and the idea of changing yourself completely internally as well as externally for someone else was something that had puzzled her. She just could not understand physically being uncomfortable by wearing extreme high heels or clothes that are tight for you just to make someone else get attracted to you and that was something I had always admired of the twelve year best friend that I had had. She was okay with what she was in life, comfortable in her own skin with no need for her to change so that someone else would like her. I knew that I was no saint or at least had not been in these past four years but I had never come across someone as naturally beautiful as Bella out of all the girls that I had known or been with. There was something about her simplicity that just attracted you to her.

I knew for a fact that her thoughts on her makeup less casual look were also due to the fact that she had grown up around all boys with her two brothers and their friends being around always and other than them I was too one of her best friends in life. The only girls she had around were Leah and Kim and the Leah Clearwater I remembered was also one of the strongest women I had known of in entire La Push. She was a no nonsense woman who just did not take bullshit from anyone and so I knew that a part of the being comfortable with who you are as a person inspiration did come from her. In short neither was Bella a complete tomboy with Kim being there to drag her shopping and convincing her to wear nail paint and frilly dresses occasionally nor was she a girly girl kind of girl or at least that was true of the Bella Uley that I had known of. She was just her… normal… my type of girl.

I sighed as once again I thought of the friendship that I had lost in the past few years due to my own stupid decisions…

"Paul" she whispered as she turned to look at me, bringing my attention back to the present. Her facial features were the same and apart from the fact that she looked more mature and even more beautiful, I would say that they had not changed much. Her shoulder length brown hair was now a few inches shorter in a well fitted bob that suited her giving her an older-ish look and a small familiar smile was visible on her face.

"Hey" I said as I walked the last few steps to where she was standing with Kim. My palms were sweaty and for some unknown reason I was nervous too. I should not have been nervous. There was no reason for so, this was just Bella right?

"Hey" she repeated in an equally awkward tone as if she too was unsure of how to start this conversation of ours. From the corner of my eye I saw Kim frowning at us or specifically me, but I ignored her. I still didn't know what her problem was with me in life. It was not like I had called her puppy ugly before making nasty faces at him or something. Over the weeks whenever I had met Jared and she had been around well unfortunately, she would always frown at me or glare at me alternatively and I still didn't know what I had done to face such 'wrath' from her. To be honest it was even mildly amusing.

"So…" she said nervously when I had not responded after a minute or so, lost in my own thoughts.

"So umm…how have you been?" I almost fumbled deciding to bang my head on the sturdy old red truck in the corner that looked like it could do the most damage as soon as the last word left my mouth. What was wrong with me? I was generally so confident and even sarcastic and also at times over smart when the situation demanded of it but Paul Lahote was no fumbling mess.

"I have been good…umm you?" she replied equally hesitantly almost as if she too was planning to bang her head on that truck for this conversation being so very out of control awkward.

What the fuck was wrong with me? This was Bella, my once upon a time best friend. Why was talking to her after so long so damn nerve-racking?

"Good" I said with a nod not knowing what else to say.

'Think brain think' I pestered myself. We had so much to talk about, so many common conversational starters. This was supposed to be easy. 'Couldn't you find any other better time to become a blank fumbling mess, stupid brain?'

She kept staring at me as if waiting for me to say something to break the silence. Her eyes kept glazing at me with a deep emotion I could not quite place. It was somewhere between relief, worry, surprise and calmness, a weird combination to say the least.

'Talk about the weather if nothing else dammit' I shouted in my mind in a last assed attempt to try and save our so far awkward conversation. Now I had so far never had to resort to 'talking about the weather' conversations but I did not want to end our conversation so soon with just the awkward 'hey, how have you been' type of lines. Why was this so difficult? Surely reconnecting with someone was not this tough even if there were years of gap in between.

"So Paul" said Kim making the both of us look at her and I almost hugged her thanking her for talking. Well key word here, being almost.

"Yup" I replied instantly

She gave out an evil smirk making me immediately worry of her next words not being the ones I would prefer to hear "I saw Jane entering the building a few minutes back. I thought she would be looking for you… you know after that day"

Damn you Kim Connweller!

The expression on Bella's face instantly changed to surprisingly pain before a mask of indifference covered her features making me come to the realization that she knew. Obviously Kim had told her of this, duh! They never had any secrets between them, if one knew both knew.

Now I had never been one to shy away from my actions as I was not ashamed of whom I was. I was well aware that my actions came with consequences but for some reason Bella was different. Entire La Push knowing of my philandering ways was not as troublesome as her knowing of them. I did not necessarily want to hide what I had become but her knowing of it was something that shockingly scared me. She had been one of my oldest and closest friends and her opinion mattered maybe even more than maybe Cherry who was probably the only one, I cared the most about in the world. I had never cared about what people in general thought or spoke about me but Bella… she was different. I did not want her to think badly of me.

"Kim" I said forming my next words with an equally cocky smile on my face "You know there is a very nice saying that would apply to you. It is called mind your own freaking business. Try it sometime"

She glared at me as I saw the corners of Bella's mouth light up with a smile that she covered with her hands in an attempt to not laugh at her frowning friend.

"Whatever" mumbled Kim before looking at Bella "I will see you inside, I should go and see what Jared and the others are up to" she took two steps before she turned back and looked at us with again the same devilish smirk on her face "Oh tell Jasper hi from my side. Now that we are all in the same school, it will be fun"

She winked at a confused Bella before turning and looking at the group of pale freaks standing by a silver Volvo at a distance and smiling at one, before walking away.

Jasper, Bella's boyfriend, the one who lived in Forks and apparently studied in Forks High, I remembered as I stared at the pale freaks. I had noticed them as soon as I had got of my bike this morning. They had creepy golden eyes, inhuman looks and a stinky scent and they were all huddled around one another talking in whispers as if their secrets were to be heavily guarded and the people around were not worthy of being privy to their presence. I could tell that they were all rich snobs from their appearance and the attitude they carried with them and as a rule I stayed away from such creeps, add into that the fact all of them had a slightly stinking smell attached to them like a rotting perfume and I knew that they were not someone who I would become friends with.

Finding who Jasper was out of the lot was not that difficult assuming the fact that the big guy built like a lug was kissing the blonde bombshell almost in a manner that screamed the immediate need for a room. I had never been against PDA leaving it to personal choice but damn this was intense. His hand was almost down her shirt and I could see the guys around salivating and dreaming of being in the lug's place but not me. She was hot but not really my type.

The other boy, the one with the unruly reddish hair that really needed to be combed and who was at the moment staring at me and Bella almost like trying to solve a difficult math puzzle in his head had his arms wrapped around a pixie with short black hair who was literally jumping while talking to another guy of their group, a tall blonde who seemed liked he was in pain. So this reddish hair was definitely not Jasper.

That left the blonde who looked as if he was in his personal purgatory that was named High School. He had the similar physical attributes like the others around him, pale with freaky abnormal golden eyes and blonde hair and as I looked at him, the mental image of him standing next to Bella with his arms wrapped around her suddenly filled my mind making my entire body shake as the feeling of unimaginable anger seeped through me.

I knew that I could be quick to anger and did truly enjoy a good fight but this was new for even me. Just thinking of someone before had never left me with such rage… not even her, Mackenzie Jacob my first girlfriend because of who I had commitment and even trust issues but with Jasper, it was like a switch had been turned on that made me want to walk up to him and rip those very arms that he could use to wrap around Bella apart from him. I did not know why I felt such rage towards him but it was just there like a volcano waiting to erupt.

I knew I was probably being ridiculously nonsensical and I had never been this violent before but the thought of Bella dating him… dating annoyed me, leaving me feeling anxious and filled with trepidation and with severe hatred for the boy she termed good enough for her to be with.

'No one is good enough for her' an unknown part within me shouted as a ferocious growl left my mouth stumbling even me at my place as people around turned to look at me. I don't know what this was. I had never growled or felt possessive of anyone before in life.

But just the thought of someone touching her, Bella left me shaking in anger. She was my best friend, I deduced, maybe this was just protectiveness I convinced myself majorly failing at it.

"Paul, are you okay?" said Bella, her expression one of worry and I instantly stopped shaking almost as if her voice had the power to calm me down in a matter of only a few seconds. I looked at my arm where her hand was lying as she had stopped me from the violent shakes and she immediately took her hand back making me frown and miss the lack of contact. I could swear that I had felt tingles like electricity pass through me when she had touched my arm leaving me completely confused at the moment. What was going on? Why did I feel like I wanted her to touch me again even if it was only a brief touch to the arm?

"Are you okay?" she repeated her question slowly with evident worry in her voice

I nodded my head mumbling a 'yes' but she did not look convinced.

"You sure" she asked tentatively "Are you running a fever or a body ache?"

I had never seen Bella look so tense before in life and I could almost imagine her crossing her toe nails as she waited for my answer. I knew from our childhood days that she would cross her toe nails instead of her fingers whenever she was anxiously waiting for an answer.

I shook my head in confusion "I am perfectly alright. I have never shaken like this before. It was most probably not anything serious"

She nodded her head though she still did not look very convinced yet.

"So how was Pittsburgh?" she asked after a few minutes, changing the subject something that I was glad for.

"It was really great, completely different from here though. It is a massive place and the school was also huge and so populated. It was physically impossible to know each and every one that went to school with you, unlike here" I chuckled, my tone not boastful but more playful.

She gave out a small smile "Coming back to La Push for the senior year must be such a huge change from there to here"

I shrugged "I had a feeling I just had to be here"

She turned to look at me with something akin knowing in her eyes almost as if she knew and understood what I was talking about. I knew that sooner or later we would have to talk about why I had stopped replying to her emails and what exactly had happened between us if we were to rekindle our friendship again in the near future but I was just not ready for that conversation yet.

"Can I ask you something though?" I asked "You can refuse if you don't feel like answering" I added immediately. I didn't know if Bella would want to answer my question or not even if in my opinion it was nothing serious.

"Sure" she replied as we heard the school bell ring and she motioned for me to walk beside her to the inside of the school building before we had to divert to our own classes for the day.

"I have heard that you were missing for a week or so, around the time that I returned back and even after that you did not come back to school and I never saw you around La Push also. Some say that you were ill while some say that you had run away…" I trailed towards the end of the sentence.

I had found out of Bella's disappearance exactly three days after I had first moved to La Push and had seen Embry wander around La Push with a missing poster of Bella in his hand and on asking him about it I had realized that Kim had lied to me when I had asked her of Bella's whereabouts. I had wanted to confront Kim for the lie but Jared had stopped me telling me that Kim was just nervous and did not mean to lie and so for the time being I had let it go. I had been worried of where Bella had been but there was no to find out other than wait and so like all the other people of La Push I had found out that she had come back to her house after five days of first disappearing but she had still not returned to school nor had I seen her around at First beach or so, the one place every teenager of La Push routinely visited.

She stopped to look at me and I could see the hesitance in her eyes but I had a feeling that her hesitance was more of not lying to me instead of answering the question in the first place.

"I was not well that is true" she said with a nod as she silently started walking towards class again and I too followed "I was actually at Old Ms. Ateara's house. She was looking after me and I have been busy since with work" she whispered keeping her answer short and vague.

"You are lying" I spoke out loud even before I could think of it. I don't know how I knew this but I just knew. It was not because of her expressions or tone or anything that could have given it away. It was something more internal, like a feeling that could tell when Bella was lying or saying the truth. Like an inbuilt lie detector machine that could pick up on her answer. I had never had this before though and it so did not work on anyone else.

She looked at me in shock before shrugging it off "I am not lying anyways it's time for class. I should go"

Again the same feeling of dread overcame me and a strange feeling of loss filled my senses. I did not want her to leave me however unusual and weird that sounded. The rational part of my mind had probably left for a vacation overseas because all my thoughts were irrational at the moment.

"I will see you around" I said reluctantly as with a nod she turned to leave for her class and I walked towards my destination, my first class of this first day in Forks High. I was a senior with Jared while Bella and Kim were still juniors and so after checking my schedule and map I walked towards English, my chest almost hurting with every step I took ahead. It was completely absurd how I could feel like this, like a part of me was missing. My thoughts wandered back to snow, the white wolf I had seen in the woods weeks back and in my dreams of late. I had seen the same dream of her with her mate and pups a few times again since but I had not physically seen her even once after that night. I knew the risks of being around a wild animal no matter how tame she looked and behaved and so even though I often felt the urge to run into the forests in the middle of the night, I did everything I could to control it though I often in the nights mostly, felt like the part of me that consequently gave out the feeling like it was missing something would vanish and complete peace would overcome me.

I shook my head trying to ignore all these thoughts as I walked into the classroom clutching my book in my hand. I waved at Jared who was in this class too and was talking to Chris another friend of ours before realizing that the only empty seat remaining was next to this Jasper guy who was noting something down in his notebook while the blonde female who was with the big lug sat on his other side typing on her phone continuously.

I scowled in disgust as I walked to the empty seat and sat down, covering my nose with my hand as his putrid scent filled my nostrils. Had no one ever told him that he smelt horrible?

I observed him as he busied himself in his work. He was nothing great to look at, normal looking if you ask me. Okay I agree that girls would find him sort of okay looking but I really did not think that Bella would fall for someone like him. I did not know what was Bella's 'type' exactly was as we did not talk about such stuff when she was twelve and I was thirteen but if I had to guess I would say, her type would be more like native skin, tall, well built, short black hair, smart with a great sense of humor like the Quileute people she had been around all her life…

Yeah that would seem it and Jasper was nothing like that.

"Interesting" said Jasper aloud chuckling in amusement as he turned to look at me "Jasper Hale" he said putting his hand forward for me to shake.

"Paul Lahote" I muttered shaking his hand and flinching at the extreme coldness of it. Had he just removed his hands from a freezer or something? Compared to the coldness of his hand, my hand felt like it was burning from heat.

He just chuckled and I gave him a confused 'what' before looking ahead at the professor who had just entered the class. The entire lecture passed quickly with me trying to pay attention even though my mind felt like miles away and I could often feel Jasper looking at me almost in question like he could not understand something that was now troubling him.

"Weirdo" I finally mumbled loud enough for him to hear as soon as the class ended and he got up to leave the class with the blonde girl by his side and though he only chuckled in return the girl with him scowled at me making me shrug at her. The truth was the truth, wasn't it?

The next few classes too passed quickly and I was glad that I got to sit around my Quileute friends instead of Jasper and his weird group that I later found out consisted of his own family members. They were all related being the adopted children of Dr. Cullen who was so infamous in our legends and was not allowed onto Quileute lands the suspicion being that they were cold ones commonly known as vampires or something though no one really believed in that crap. The older ones were Emmett Cullen aka the big lug, Rosalie Hale aka bombshell and her twin Jasper who I of course unfortunately knew of from before. The younger two Edward aka unruly hair and Alice the bouncing pixie were juniors and so in Bella's year.

I had rolled my eyes as a girl named Jessica who was in one of my senior classes and attended Forks High had tried explaining to me that even though they all were related through adoption and lived together it was not that weird that they were together together because they were not actually related. Well I definitely found it cringeworthy but to each his own.

Soon the bell for lunch rang and passing through the mass of crowd standing in the corridors, Jared and I made our way to the common cafeteria for lunch. As soon as we entered the room my eyes fell on Bella who was sitting on one of the corner tables surrounded by the other Quileute students talking to Embry and another girl sitting beside him. Jared, who had too noticed Kim on the other side of Bella, immediately ran to where she was and I followed slowly rolling my eyes at his sappy whipped behavior. The only thing missing was a dog collar and the picture would be complete.

I took the empty seat beside Jacob opposite Bella and tried paying attention to the conversations happening around me- Kim and Jared were being all lovey dovey like usual… aah gag, Quil and Jacob were having an intense discussion on a rabbit that Jacob planned to rebuilt and Bella was talking to Embry and his girlfriend Abigail about Port Angeles and a bookstore they should visit the next time they were there but my attention was far away from the conversations or even the topics being discussed around me. Every few minutes I involuntarily kept glancing at the Cullen table where all five of them sat talking within themselves almost in a rehearsed manner in between a few bites of the food placed on their trays.

I don't know what was causing this sudden reaction. The closest to the realization I had reached had been that I was probably going insane. Just a few hours back when walking from class to the other when I had noticed Bella talking to Jasper next to his locker, I had nearly lost it. Unadulterated rage had overcome me as she had laughed while talking to him. He was not supposed to make her laugh…. She used to laugh like this in a carefree manner when she was around me. I had started shaking uncontrollably almost like something was waiting to burst out of me and I had only stopped when I had seen them both disappear in opposite directions unknown of my seeing them.

It was something to do with Bella Uley that is all I knew.

"… So you in?" asked Jared looking at me waiting for my response

"What" I asked confused having absolutely no idea what he was talking about

He rolled his eyes and I observed that the entire table had turned to look at us "There is party on Second beach tomorrow. It is going to be totally lit. Open for all from Forks and La Push, you in?"

I nodded my head as a stray thought hit me. The Cullen's were not allowed onto Quileute lands and so Jasper could definitely not be there. I needed to talk to Bella and solve the mess that I had created between us all those years back and what better time to do this than when her annoying boyfriend was not around.

"Second beach here we come" I said with a grin


	25. The party (part 1)

Thank you .7334, Tommy14, sarae32, Kedrane, Twibookworm, MammaNita4, brankel1, catgrl and the guest reviewers for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 4- The party (Part 1)

"So what do you think?"

I looked up meeting the eyes of Kim who was waiting for my answer with an expectant look on her face. She twirled around once more letting me see and admire her floral beach dress and straight black hair put in a side fishtail braid with a tinge of perfectly adorned makeup, her look complete with a pair of flip flops and a floral tiara on her head.

"Don't you think it is a bit too much?" I said hesitantly "It is just a party you know…" I waved my hands in the air trying to make my point. I, on the other hand was more on board with a pair of casual shorts and a tank top instead of dresses and tiaras. Anything more than that and my wolf self felt overheated and annoyed, not to forget the part where I could phase all of a sudden and tear the dress into a hundred pieces.

"Exactly my point" she said in a matter of fact manner "It is a party, a perfectly alright reason to dress up. Anyways when was the last time we had one of those in La Push, a bonfire where they recited the same boring legends yes but a party filled with overenthusiastic teenagers, loud music and maybe a couple of beers and that is a big no"

I shook my head at her enthusiasm. I still did not understand what the big deal was. It was just a casual party that was being held on second beach where everyone we already knew well enough, namely the peeps from La Push would be in attendance. The only outsiders would be the few teenagers and young adults from Forks who liked visiting our beaches on the weekends or so. In my opinion it was more like hanging out with the same crowd that you did while at school or outside, the only thing addition being booze and loud music but then again I guess that is the entire point.

"What time is Jared coming to pick us up again?" I asked after a few minutes of silence as she was looking into the mirror to check on her applied mascara.

She looked at the wall clock in my room before answering, looking back into the mirror again "He should be here in ten minutes"

I nodded my head. Though I already knew that I would not be getting drunk as it was physically impossible for wolves to get drunk no matter the amount of liquor they consumed, our bodies burning it as soon as it entered our system and so driving back would not have been a problem, Jared had volunteered to be our driver for the evening deciding that he would not be drinking either way and he would feel safer if he just dropped us home once we left the party instead of worrying if we reached back safely or not and so he was going to pick me and Kim up from my house where Kim was going to be sleeping over after the party and hence we or rather Kim had been getting ready from the past forty five minutes.

"Wait" said Kim as she turned to look at me with evident shock on her face "You don't want to get ready?"

I raised my eyebrow "Do I look naked to you?"

She rolled her eyes at my sarcasm "I mean, don't you want to change?"

I shrugged with a simple 'no'. I was definitely in no mood to play dress up right now.

She rolled her eyes once more as she walked up to my closet and searched for something in it, ruffling through my clothes as I quietly sat back and observed. Finally she pulled something out showing it to me with a satisfied grin on her face.

"What is that?" I asked in confusion

"It is a crop top" she said as if she could not believe that I had actually asked her this and was now questioning my thinking capabilities.

"Thank you captain obvious" I said sarcastically "Of course I know that it is a crop top that I own but why are you showing it to me?"

I looked once again at the crop top in question that I remembered purchasing a few months back, before my big change into a shape shifter on a shopping trip to Seattle with Kim and Leah. It was white crochet and as I tried remembering when I had worn it last, I drew a blank making me feel instantly guilty that I had bought it excitedly but never got around to actually wearing it.

Kim giggled bringing my attention back to her "It is a compromise"

"What compromise?" I asked in confusion and curiosity

"I know you are in no mood to play dress up, I can see that on your face though I may not understand the reason for so" she said with a sigh "But still I think this will look better with your shorts instead of the casual tank top you have on. It is still a party you know and dressing up a little bit will not kill you contrary to what you think"

"Fine" I said with a deep sigh deciding that the crop top would definitely look better with the shorts and I could at least wear it once instead of the never that I had going on and also the fact that there was no point in arguing with Kim. When it came to clothes and shoes she knew how to get her way.

I quickly took the top from her changing into it and after wearing a few accessories, combing my hair once and applying a bit of mascara I was ready to finally leave.

"Ta-da" I said faking enthusiasm as I turned to look at Kim who stood there with a proud look on her face.

"Just admit it I am a genius" she said finally, making me roll my eyes. "Oh, now I get it" she said loudly shaking her head at her own sudden realization.

"Get what?" I asked puzzled

She gave me a teasing look "Why you are not in the mood to dress up. Jasper's not going to be there to see you in it and later maybe… rip them off?" she framed it as a question almost waiting for me to answer.

"Kim" I said shocked and disgusted at her words. Yuck… Jasper was my uncle maybe many generations apart but still my…uncle and the idea of him with me…doing 'that' was preposterous and horrifying.

She laughed with a playful glare "Fine don't tell me even though I tell you everything about me and Jared"

"There is nothing to say" I said firmly "He is my friend, nothing more and never will be"

"Really" she asked disbelievingly "But I thought that maybe you both are heading in that direction. You spend so much time together. I thought that…"

I shook my head interrupting her "He is just a friend"

"Oh but…" she started as we heard the doorbell ring downstairs and Allison's voice telling us that Jared was here to pick us up.

"We will talk about this later" she said in a tone that indicated that this conversation was far from over before grabbing her cell phone and going downstairs while I frowned at her assumption that Jasper and I were together or that I harbored any sort of feelings for him before too grabbing my cell phone and going downstairs deciding that we were definitely going to talk about this later.

As soon as I entered the living room I was met with an upset looking almost on the verge of crying Leah and my mother who was holding onto her hand in an attempt to console her while she smiled at the rest of us trying to cover the fact that something was wrong and that they were most probably having an intense conversation that was not for our ears.

"Hey Bella, you look lovely" said Jared with a kind smile from where he held Kim's hand on the other side of the room, though his face held a little hesitance obviously understanding that the air around us had been thick due to Leah and my mother's conversation before he and we both had arrived in this living room.

"Hey Jared, thanks" I said before looking at Kim "You both go ahead. I have some urgent work to do. I will join you both in a while"

Kim looked once at Leah who was still looking at her lap before looking at me again and nodding her head understanding what urgent work I had and why I would be joining them both later.

"You sure?" asked Kim in a tone that indicated that this was more of a formality than a question as she already knew of my answer.

"Yeah" I said with a small smile "I will catch a ride with someone heading towards second beach. There will many anyways. You both go ahead"

Jared and Kim both nodded their heads telling me that they would see me there before leaving the house telling their goodbyes to Allison and Leah.

"You didn't have to do this" said Leah once the front door tightly shut though she still refused to meet my eyes and instead was looking at her lap, her tone one of complete dejection "You should have gone with them. No need to spoil your mood and party because of me…"

I shrugged nonchalantly interrupting her "I wanted to and Leah" I said sitting beside her on the couch "You are the closest I have to an older sister. You really think I can enjoy myself when someone from my family is so upset and in pain?"

I knew with complete surety that every word that I had just spoken was true. Be it anyone… Sam, Embry, Leah, my mother or even Kim, I knew that my reaction would have been the same. They were family and if they needed me, even without them asking me for it, I would be there.

"Leah, I will make you some tea. You will feel better" said Allison getting up from the couch "You both talk. I will just be back"

Leah just nodded her head slowly and Allison left the room giving us both the privacy to have a conversation. I flinched noticing that I had never seen Leah this disheartened before. She looked completely heartbroken, far from the strong confident woman I had always known her to be and the fear that I knew the reason for her this reaction pained me to another extent.

I was the Alpha of the pack. The pack was my responsibility. I should have been able to control this. A part of me knew that blaming myself for this 'imprint' was wrong because it was something the spirits had decided but still the wishful thought that I should have been of some help was prevalent in my mind at all times.

"What's wrong?" I said softly trying to get Leah to talk about it. Ever since Levi had taught me how to control my extra hearing abilities in a manner that I didn't eavesdrop, I had started tuning out of conversations that were not for my ears concentrating on my own breathing instead.

"Everything" she mumbled so soft that I had to strain my ears to hear it. I kept quiet waiting for her to say more which I knew she would when she had framed the sentence in her mind and was ready to talk about it. After a few minutes of complete silence she spoke again "Your brother" she said taking her head in her hands "I don't think he is happy with me anymore. I don't know what went wrong. Did I do something wrong?" she said with a cry of pain.

"Oh Leah no" I said shocked as I shook my head. She had not done anything wrong… neither had Sam. It was just fate who was playing with their lives in the most twisted way possible.

"Then why is he behaving like this? Whenever he is at home he is either agitated or angry like this is his least favorable place in the world and being around me is like a curse for him or he is outside somewhere making the excuse of being busy with work when I know that he is not there, I have called up and confirmed. Is he… cheating on me?" she said looking up at me, her eyes filled with tears.

"No" I shouted "How could you even think this?" I said though I knew that it was not her mistake for thinking so. After the elders and Levi had decided that Leah was not to know of Sam being a shape shifter, in order to make his life easier I had devised the patrolling schedule in such a way that all nightly patrols were either mine or Levi's as Allison and Ellen knew of the truth and it would be easier for us to just leave instead of Sam being forced to constantly lie to Leah but in return Sam had most of the day time patrols when I would go to school and Levi would attend the council meetings alternating with Sam for a few hours so that he could also work part time. I knew it was tough on him to manage both but this was the best solution we had been able to reach.

Nightly patrols were preferred by me for another reason too. I could run by Paul's house during the night when the chance of anyone seeing me in my wolf form was minimal and could lessen the pull of an imprint. Now that I was attending school again and was seeing Paul nearly every day for hours at stretch the pull was bearable but before that this had been my only way to be near him.

"What else do you expect me to think?" said Leah in a completely broken voice "We have been together for so long. I thought we were happy. You know he does not even kiss me any longer and sex, that is completely out of question"

I cringed, hearing about my brother's sex life was not my idea of a preferred conversation but I knew that Leah needed this. She needed to let out everything that was troubling her from within and ever since the twins Rachel and Rebecca had left La Push with Rachel moving to Seattle after a huge fight with Billy and Rebecca getting married and settling in Hawaii, Leah had lost two of her closest friends and support system who though still spoke to Leah on phone and email were not here to actually be there for her.

"You know" she stuttered "I initiated sex the other day literally stripping seductively in front of him but he just ignored me and turned to the other side closing his eyes and sleeping within seconds. It was so demeaning as if he just doesn't desire me any longer. I even tried asking him what was wrong, multiple times but every time he gives me a peck on the lip tells me 'I love you' and then after a good cuddle session we go back to how it was, with him refusing to even come close to me. I am so tired of this"

"Leah" I said with a shudder "Sam loves you, you know that. Please don't give up on him"

If only she knew how hard Sam was fighting himself and his wolf to just be with Leah for those few hours when he got to be around her.

She gave me an appalled look "How could you even think that? Sam is my life. I could never give up on him, give up on us. All I am asking for are some damn answers as to why is he behaving like this? Don't you think I deserve at least that?"

I took her free hand in mine "I will talk to him. You will get the answers from Sam but just don't give up on him or on the both of you. Sam loves you more than you can even imagine. It is just that something has happened that is causing all of this"

"You know why he is behaving like this" she stated rather than asked

I nodded my head "I know and I promise you that everything will be alright. Just trust me and more importantly trust Sam"

She gave me a slight nod indicating that though she was hurt and upset, she still trusted Sam to tell her what was wrong and do something to make it right.

I knew that a conversation with Sam was long overdue. I knew that he was hurting and as the days passed his wolf craved to be near Emily, his imprint shattering the human who had stood in its way and with every passed day Sam was losing the fight he was trying so hard for to win. No… Sam and Leah were meant to be together, an imprint could not and an imprint would not destroy what they had, what they have and what they could have. I had to talk to Sam sooner rather than later.

With this determination in mind I soon left my house leaving Allison and Leah to talk and managing to convince Leah to come down to second beach for a few hours. I knew that she was obviously in no mood to party but a change of place would be good for her and it would even lift her spirits if only for a short while and she and Sam desperately needed that.

As soon as my feet were under the canopy of the thick trees safely guarding my secret from the unsuspecting passerby or trekkers who had wandered too close for comfort, I quickly undressed tying my clothes to my leg for safekeeping and with a loud jerk and a memory of Jane being around Paul that was quick to resurface the deep buried anger within me, I had phased becoming my four legged form from the two legged human I was. I shook my body shaking the fur that now resided on it before stretching and getting me acquainted once again with my she wolf. It was truly an enigma of how natural it felt to be a wolf now almost like it had been years instead of months since I first phased. Though it had just been more than a month since I had first became a wolf, there was no other word to describe this connection that I now shared with my she wolf other than natural. It was just completely normal to run into the woods on my four legs instead of two however absurd that sounded for a normal human. I quickly took a sprint like position before running deep into the woods marveling at the wondrous sights of the green nature around me as I ran towards that familiar house in Forks where I knew Sam and Leah lived.

"Emily" I heard a loud moan of pain in mind that instantly made me aware of the fact that I was not alone and Sam too was phased right now. I thought back to the patrolling schedule I had set realizing that Sam was not supposed to be on 'duty' right now. He was supposed to be at home attempting to enjoy his free time with Leah or at work covering up for his leaves but then again Sam was not one to easily give in when he had decided on something.

"No Leah, only Leah" his mental voice barraged loudly followed by a string of the name 'Leah' being repeated, every time with even more emotion and longing than the previous one.

It was a continuous conflict, one that I regretfully was familiar with. Even after my alpha order that restricted Sam from being around Emily, this had not stopped him from thinking of her at all times or from running over to the Makah reservation at the drop of a hat. I knew from past experience and the ability to read the others thoughts when phased that everyday at least twice Sam would run down to see Emily if only it was from afar and to please the wolf who forced him to act so. I knew well that he felt the pull and it was only the imprint but still it had not made it any easier for me to accept this fact that my brother who had only had eyes for Leah Clearwater for all these years was now obsessed with her own cousin who had no idea of any of this.

"Sam" I said loudly in my mind putting a temporary break on his thoughts of Emily and how beautiful she had looked when she had been humming while listening to music on her iPod which had immediately followed by the immense guilt of thinking that anyone other than Leah was beautiful.

"Bella" he said in a low tone as if he was ashamed of being caught thinking of Emily. I wish I could have consoled him, telling him that it was okay. I knew that the wolf was irrational and he wanted his mate and would be willing to do anything to get to her. I had been there I knew how it felt but surprisingly I managed to keep my thoughts to myself.

"Leah is hurting" I said finally sending him the mental image of Leah sitting on our couch crying and being upset by his reaction to her these past few days.

"Fuck" he said with a loud whine of pain "I never wanted to hurt her but it is just so difficult to be around her right now. Whenever I get near her the wolf howls in frustration and I get scared that I will hurt her by phasing to close to her, the most precious person in my life. If something happens to her I will not be able to bear it" he said shaking in anger and worry.

"Sam calm down. Nothing will happen to her" I said reassuringly "She is just worried and needs to know something…"

He interrupted me with a loud growl "You think I don't already know this that Leah, my Leah who I love more than anything in the world deserves to know why I am being a complete jerk to her. Why I refuse to touch her or just be with her like I would before all this shit occurred in my life but what do you expect me to do? I can't tell her the truth thanks to you and your impulsive stupidity" he shouted "And now I have to bear the consequences for it"

"Hey" I glared at him well mentally as we were on opposite sides of the border but still it had the desired effect "How can you blame me for this? Mom needed to know"

"And Leah didn't need to know of something this life changing?" he asked sarcastically

"Blame Levi and the other council members for that. I didn't force this order on you"

"No if someone is at fault it is those damn leeches who you call friends or family or whatever the fuck you believe them to be and that great grand uncle of yours who should never have moved here in the first place causing me to phase and imprint on someone other than Leah ruining ours lives. They should just return to whichever shithole they moved here from" Sam scowled in hatred, an extent to which I had never seen come from him.

"It is not their fault. They did not know that it would cause us to phase in the first place" I protested vehemently "Jasper himself told me this that they would not have moved here if they had known and you know that I only talk to Jasper out of them all . I have never even spoken to the other Cullens" I defended myself.

"Yeah and how would any of us know that, oh great Alpha who can block her thoughts" he said angrily

"Sam enough" I said firmly. I hated this. Sam and I had never fought like this before in life, sure we bickered at times and we had arguments like normal siblings did but never to such extent and I hated it.

"I know you are hurting" I continued "But that does not give you the right to blame me for this. I did not force you to imprint on Emily and neither did I force you to fight the imprint. One was decided by fate and the other by you, yourself so you have no right to blame me for my action of deciding to tell my mother of something life changing that happened to me. I didn't even know that any of this could have happened ahead"

He sighed, stopping in his tracks as his tone turned remorseful "I am sorry Bella. I know that you are not to blame but this imprint is blindsiding me, making me completely irrational and ill tempered. I just wish for a minute you could understand the pain of being separated from your imprint though I could never truly wish this pain on anyone, least of all you. It is crippling and I feel like I am being pulled in two directions at the same time. I want to be only with Leah but my wolf is pushing me towards Emily and I am stuck somewhere in the middle"

"I understand" I said as unknowingly the curtain that had been guarding my thoughts of Paul and imprinting from Sam fell completely exposing me in the open.

I stood back in shock and embarrassment as every memory of mine from the minute Paul and I met for the first time as five and six years olds to how our hate and annoyance filled meetings turned to friendship and then to becoming best friends. I tried pulling back my thoughts in an attempt to hide them but it was too late by then. Everything from the change in my feelings towards Paul as a preteen to thinking of him kissing me was now out in the open. Sam was quiet in what I assumed was shock and even embarrassment at seeing his younger sister's private thoughts as he saw from my mind how I had phased and then imprinted on Paul out of all people a mere few days after first phasing and bearing the pain and loneliness of the wolf being without her mate. He saw my yearning and my jealously and how much I had started to become affected by Paul's presence and how I had started to now crave it too and also how I would stare at Paul in longing when I thought no one was looking. He saw my fear on how the human in me too was tilting towards having Paul permanently in my life and the worry of whether it would be reciprocated or not.

"Bella" he said finally, his tone held confusion, surprise, shock and even mild anger at the circumstances "You and Paul? But he…Why? He is not good for you. He doesn't deserve you"

Sudden anger filled me as I heard him Judge Paul, my imprint. He didn't even know him well enough to have a firm opinion about him.

"Sam enough" I said using my alpha voice for a change, I never really used it terming it to give me an unfair advantage but for now I was past the realm of fair and unfair in my anger "You will not judge him. You don't even know him enough for that"

"I know how much I need to know" he said with a scowl which gave fuel to my anger.

"You don't know anything" I said barring my teeth at him in warning and he quickly took a step back in defense understanding the threat in my voice, the alpha of his pack's threat. At this point the both of us were mere animals and the she wolf in me would fight to death to protect her mate and to equally protect his honor no matter who she was facing, family or not.

I could see in his mind that he was about to protest and claim otherwise but I stopped him midway. I did not have the time or patience for this right now.

"I don't want to talk about it" I said firmly "This is my life and if you want to have a civil conversation with me on this topic, you will have to keep your prejudice aside. I have not judged who fate chose for you or who you chose for yourself and the least I demand is the same courtesy from you"

I could feel a bit of shame radiate from him but I chose not to comment on it.

"I just love you and I don't want to see you hurt" he said finally

"I won't be hurt" I said pushing back my own fears for now. No point letting Sam know of them when he had so much baggage of his own to deal with.

He gave me a slight nod as I continued "The main thing right now is that Leah is really worried. Maybe we can talk to Harry about it"

He shook his head as sadness and anger emerged from him "No point, I tried"

"Oh" I said at a loss of words

"Give me some time. I will think of something" he said "You were going to go to the party on second beach today, right?"

"Yeah but" I said in no real mood to 'party' now

"Go" "Life doesn't stop and you don't need to change your plans for me or Leah. We are fine or we will be very soon"

I could see the surety in his voice and I nodded my head knowing that he meant this.

"Okay howl if you need me" I said as I ran towards second beach, phasing back a bit far away in the woods and quickly wearing my shorts and top and the few accessories I had managed to fit in my shorts pocket. I ran a hand through my hair trying to smooth it knowing that the makeup I had applied was now definitely gone because of my phasing.

The party was in full swing by the time I reached. I could see familiar and unfamiliar faces sitting by the fire talking while some were dancing to the loud music playing. A group was surrounding a table that I could guess was food as we Quileute were definitely food lovers and you could often find us where there was food. Another small corner was devoted to root beer and I could see people gathered there too. I wandered around for a few minutes exchanging a short conversation with a few who I knew trying to find where Kim and Jared were or where Paul who was supposed to be here too was…

Paul, thinking of him brought back the memory of how weird he had been acting yesterday in school. Something was troubling him, I could tell by his expression but what I had no idea of that. I sighed, I wished things would go back to how they were for us growing up.

I must have been in the party for hardly ten minutes when I saw a figure approaching me from the other side, a completely unexpected one though.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure" I said aloud even though my mind was screaming to say 'would you leave if I said no?'

She rubbed her face with her hands as if the conversation she was about to raise was going to be a difficult one.

"Quil Sr. had come to meet me a few days back with a very shocking revelation"

Oh Fuck! This was probably the last thing we needed in life.

"Yeah" I said skeptically "And what did he say Emily?"

Emily frowned like she had not expected this reaction from me "I think you know very well of what he said"

I shook my head feigning ignorance "I don't and I didn't even know you were coming down to La Push today. Leah must have forgotten to tell me and to inform me that she had invited you to this party" I said focusing on the word 'Leah' telling her in my own way to back down.

"Leah does not know. I did not think it was important for her to know and as a part of this 'tribe' I don't think I need anyone's permission to be here" she said in a tone of malice.

"And here I thought you were Makah" I said raising an eyebrow keeping my tone playful even though I was in no mood for so.

She gave out a bitter laugh "A wolf's imprint is as much a part of his tribe as much as him, you surely know that don't you?"

"So you know" I stated

She gave me a cocky smirk, one full of greed "Of course I know how I am the only woman Sam can think of. How I am the only woman he will love and admire till the day he dies. Quil Sr. told me that Sam is a bit confused at the moment but he will soon get back to his senses and realize who is better for him. Me, his imprint chosen by fate or that Leah who is not even worthy of him but just got lucky"

I gave her a disgusted look shaking in anger "Leah is your cousin. How could you try to steal her happiness? That is disgusting and it is not she who got lucky, it is you but remember it does not take time for a person's luck to change"

She shrugged nonchalantly with a smile on her face "This time I am sure that my luck will not change. It is here to stay and Sam he will be mine no matter what you or even he thinks" she challenged as she left me standing there alone fuming in anger.

How dare she? How could someone fall so low? Leah was her cousin for God's sake and who puts a dagger through their own cousin's back like this.

I was exhausted. I was angry and I really wanted to go home but I had a feeling that this night was far from over.


	26. The party (part 2)

Thank you Tommy14, MammaNita4, .7334, sarae32, Twibookworm, catgrl, brankel1 and the guest reviewers for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 5- The party (part 2)

Paul POV-

7:52….

7:59….

8:05….

"Paul"

A loud over excited shout came as I glanced at the watch on my left hand for possibly the tenth time in the past half hour to see how much time had passed since, well since the last time I checked my watch which was exactly six minutes back. Now I am not saying the party was boring, it could be worse you know… but to be honest this party was pretty much crap.

Now if there was something I had learnt well during my short few years in Pittsburgh it was the art of how to party and let loose. Call it being with the wrong crowd or call it just simple Yolo or Carpe Diem if you prefer but if there was something I had mastered all so quickly it was this. I could still remember the first parental unsupervised house party I had been to with Mackenzie who was older and so was versed with all the 'contacts' needed. The alcohol had been bootlegged by the host's older brother who somehow knew Mackenzie, how I could still not understand and got us in despite us or rather me not knowing anyone there and apart from it being my first as such party, that had also been my first stint with something illegal, the other illegal stuff though had happened over time but that's a story for another day. I had had a brief guilty moment taking that first ever drink of my life knowing how this same liquor had destroyed my old man's life and any family I was suppose to have growing up but then I had looked and noticed that there were many like me around who drank to cover, to hide and to forget and with that in mind I had gulped it down in one go. The hangover the next morning had not been pretty to say but then again which hangover was in life.

But not every time or every party after that was to forget, sometimes it was just to have plain fun and trust me with the right people or at least those who seem right in a out of control party, time can fly, like literally fly and Cherry was one of those people, a wild party animal just like me or maybe even worse than me. Seriously that girl was a creature of the night who survived for this, her fix as she had termed it early on in life. I was not that bad or at least I had succeeded in convincing myself of this.

And this party was no doubt too tame for my tastes. I took a sip of the root beer in my hand, the only thing available in a non BYOB party as I noticed the others dance or just chat around in their own small groups of three, four or five. I could see Jared and Kim dance to the slow track currently playing for some reason in this boring as fuck party, with their arms wrapped around one another and their eyes interlocked in a loving embrace and somehow I managed to keep myself from gagging at the sight, a miracle perhaps?

Now you will ask me the million dollar question of why was I still here then. I could have easily hightailed at any point of time in these past few hours but shockingly I was still here and the reason for that was simple.

Really Simple, Just two words actually- Isabella Marie Uley, my ex best friend turned stranger who seemed to have no time to talk to me away from when we were in school surrounded by a crowd of people who were far more interested in another's personal life than necessary and to be honest the brief conversation that the both of us had had in school yesterday had been fucking painful and awkward. It was more of the customary hi, hello, bye than otherwise and on all occasions be it before school in the parking lot or during Lunch when we had sat at the same table or after school when each one of us was bidding the other goodbye in a matter of being necessarily civil, our conversations had been short and terribly awkward as if we were two hardly knowing the other acquaintances who were forced to exchange pleasantries with the other under the pretense of being nice and I did not like it, a bit.

I know I know it was my fault that I ruined our friendship and I was the one responsible for us having drifted apart and maybe I had not thought of the consequences or how it would have affected Bella when I had taken this action all those years back but all I was asking for was one chance to put my side forward and try to explain things but ever since I had returned back I had been and was still waiting for this one chance and let me tell you it was not due to my lack of trying but ever since I had returned I had hardly seen either hide or hair of Bella. She was never on either of the beaches which were a regular for her once upon a time or at her home where one would normally expect to find her, I had tried calling even at the odd hours or at Kim's home which was again one of her frequently visited places growing up, I had tried seeing for her from a distance though while passing like I would go any close to that capricious sprite Kim to ask her of Bella's whereabouts and neither had she been attending school. I had heard from the gossip mongers that Bella had quit her job in some bookstore in Port Angeles too and so the big question had been that where on earth was she if not at home? I had a brief suspicion that maybe she was in Forks with Sam and Leah but knowing how over protective Sam had been way back when I lived here, I really was not willing to be around him for a minute longer than necessary though the fleeting thought of her living in Forks and spending every awake moment of hers with that loser boyfriend of hers had left me growling under my breath.

If I was sure of one thing though in life, it was that I was loyal. I may have been a cocky sometimes over smart kind of guy but I was loyal to the ones I considered friends or as close as family to a tee. I fought for them, sometimes even with them but you get the point and stood by them through thick and thin or at least that was what I thought I did.

Bella had been an exception to that behavior of mine. No doubt she had been my once annoying enemy turned friend turned best friend over the years but now we were back to strangers, back to square one.

At least we were not starting off as enemies or people who could hardly stand the other this time around, I thought a bit relieved. An inaudible chuckle left my mouth as the past memories of our childhood drifted through my mind leaving all of its glory behind for me to reminisce about.

How much had we disliked the other after the first meeting we had had as two kids playing on the beach with me being new to the res. She was weird and too much of a stickler for good behavior in my eyes and I was the bad boy who believed in breaking rules and our subsequent friendship had always been a mystery. Even while growing up she was the one who kept me in line and saved my ass probably a million times from being suspended or even worse getting kicked out of school because of my rude outspoken or as I put it opinionated outlook in life of calling a spade a spade while in return I showed her that sometimes in life letting go and just taking the minute as it passed was not such a bad thing. You didn't always need to be prepared or even right in life. It was okay to be wrong or unprepared for what life throws in front of you at times. Being Spontaneous was not that bad and what people think of you does not necessarily matter always.

And so somehow against all odds our friendship had matured and from a girl who became my casual friend, who I slowly learnt to trust and more importantly like she became my best friend and the one person who I knew I could trust completely, also while I made sure that she was happy and safe. A smiling Bella, a happy Bella was a beautiful Bella, just like her name and exactly how I liked her to be.

And yeah so like I said I was still waiting for that once chance to tell her that I had messed up, big time. Yeah, I knew that I had been that cliché stereotypical guy who had dumped his friend for a girl he thought he had loved but later on realized that it had only been infatuation which he had mistook for more, no matter the fact that said friend was another girl and so I could not even use the line 'Bros before Hoes' out loud.

I smirked at my own lame joke as I shook my head. It was immature I knew but still it was funny… well at least in my mind.

"Paul" whined a clingy whiny voice coming close to where I stood with a lunatic grin on my face as I applauded my own damn sense of humor that cracked senseless jokes ninety percent of the time though completely in the periphery of my mind. Thank God for small miracles though, a man still has to keep his repute you know.

"Jane" I said in a monotone not even trying to hide the fact that I was least interested in talking to her and could think of a million other things to do other than this like for example find Bella, talk to her and then get the hell out of here.

"Paul baby" she purred in what I assume was her seductive voice which honestly made me barf, as she attempted to wrap her arms around my torso clinging to me like I was the last life boat available and her ship was about to sink mid the Atlantic "I called your name a few minutes back trying to get your attention but I guess you were distracted" she said running her cold hand filled with ridiculously fake nails over my cheek making me cringe away.

I barely managed to let out a breath trying to pull myself out from this painful death grip and after a few painful and embarrassing attempts I finally managed to get her to loosen her grip on me and pushed her a few steps back making a reasonable space between us which from her face was not really appreciated by her, but then again her loss not mine.

"Paul Baby" she pouted annoyingly "Is something the matter?"

"What do you want?" I asked already irritated with this conversation and wishing for it to end well pronto.

She glared at me "I wanted to ask if you wanted a repeat of that night that I assume was the best of your life but if you are not interested then fine, your loss"

I scoffed best of my life, like really? I was not one to kiss and tell but seriously it had only lasted a few minutes with her and that's definitely not a best.

"No thanks" I said with a rude smirk a bit louder than necessary "Not interested"

Jane glared at me, probably at my loud tone as she noticed that our conversation had gained a few spectators who were anticipatorily waiting for us to continue and give them some awaited gossip that was rare to find in this never changing small reservation.

I shrugged as she turned to look or rather glare at the entire staring crowd before she roughly pulled me by the hand through the mass of crowd assembled towards a curiously empty area a bit far from where we had originally been and where even the earlier soft now loud music playing could not be heard.

"I did not hear you clearly earlier because of the music. What did you say?" she asked feigning ignorance when we finally stopped and faced one another. Her eyes were still hopeful as if she was waiting or rather offering me the chance to change my words and say what she wanted to hear.

"I said no thanks. I am not interested in your offer. I will give it a pass" I said concisely with a nod and a simple firm smile placed on my face.

"What" she gaped at me like a fish out of water as if completely taken aback by my answer, her mouth opened and closed a few times before her approach completely changed and she once again wrapped her death grip of a hand around my neck pulling me closer to her as I cringed to get away.

"Are you sure that I can't change your answer?" she asked seductively pressing a brief kiss to my closed mouth before pulling back and winking at me. I roughly pushed her away ignoring the feeling of guilt that had had arisen within my chest all of a sudden and was now trying to cripple me.

I had not cheated on anyone dammit. Why the fuck did it feel like I had just cheated on someone and was terribly apologetic and guilty for my infidelity and unfaithfulness. I felt like crap even without doing anything to deserve it and I ran a hand through my hair in agitation.

"What the hell was that Paul" shouted Jane looking extremely angry at being pushed away.

"Look, just go" I said waving in the direction of the party with my hand "I definitely don't want a 'repeat' of that night as you put it. Leave me alone"

She scoffed in disgust "As if a dog like you would even deserve it. I was just being nice here and working for something that would benefit the both of us. I needed a release. It has been a while and you are always willing so…" she trailed off.

Hey! Dogs are loyal and said to be man's best friend so shouldn't that really be a compliment? I pondered in curiosity.

Oh wait while we are on the topic of release… yeah it has definitely been a while for me too…

I thought about the last time that I had been with someone and reached the conclusion that it had been with Jane only, months back which was the longest it had ever been for me. I didn't know what had happened after that but even kissing another felt like cheating and I would pull back abruptly as if I had been burnt and it did not happen only once or twice, it was always there whenever I even tried to flirt with a random or not so random girl.

I had tried for more once though not one to quit easily, one day in Port Angeles more than a month back. After an uncomfortable date where I had tried my best to hide the fact that I felt extremely guilty for god knows what reason and wanted to run out of there, the girl Julieet with an extra 'e' I think, had taken me back to her place giving me an unexpected striptease which I would have found extremely arousing on any other day but on that day it had done nothing for me… nothing… nada…zilch.

We had then taken things to the bedroom despite my earlier embarrassment, where not so little Paul Jr. who had never embarrassed me before and who I was really proud of for his past achievements had turned out to be my biggest enemy on that unfortunate day.

Let's just say that on that day things had not looked up for me if you catch my drift.

I had very soon left Julieet's place after that keeping my head low with a confused look on my face, confusion at what the fuck had just happened and even Julieet's uncomfortable attempt at reassurance saying that stuff like this happened at times and it was probably just stress did nothing to comfort me.

I was annoyed and irritated and had absolutely no idea why I couldn't even flirt anymore without feeling like complete shit and a failure through and through.

And so let's just say in a few words that since that day my hand and I had become very good friends.

"So who is she?" Jane asked raising an eyebrow in question and with jealousy and clear resentment evident in her voice.

"Excuse me?" I asked confused at her question. Who was who?

"Who is this girl because of whom you are rejecting me? What does she have that I can't give you? Is she better in bed than me?"

I looked at her in disbelief. Was she serious? How could someone be this full of themselves?

"Are you just delusional or are you completely insane?" I asked in return as she scowled at me

"Firstly there is nobody in my life and even if there was it is none of your fucking business and secondly you knew this that whatever we did was a onetime thing. You wanted it as much as me and you consented to it too and so don't behave like a possessive girlfriend when you never were one and just because I am not with anyone does not mean that I want to be with you. It was just a onetime thing and I definitely don't want a repeat of it"

She glared at me muttering under her breath as she shook her head "I don't believe this" "Paul Lahote, no one rejects me and gets away with it. I will get back at you for this insult. You just wait for it"

Saying this she walked away while I rolled me eyes at the fact that I had apparently hurt her fragile ego with my honest words but then again what is true is true isn't it?

I had placed my head in my hands for a few seconds in annoyance and with exhaustion which had begun to give me a headache, when I heard a familiar soft voice.

"Hey, you okay"

I looked up and our eyes met. Hers filled with trust and acceptance instantly making me feel better from the earlier shit like feeling I had been going through.

"I just saw Jane going. Is this a bad time to talk?" Bella asked nervously pointing in the direction of where Jane had just disappeared. Her voice held apprehension and hesitance and I instantly shook my head with a shrug.

"Jane is just delusional" I said in nonchalance making it a statement.

She nodded her head almost like she was in agreement of my earlier statement.

"You look tired" she commented after a few minutes of silence.

"I feel like shit" I responded instantly adding "Sorry a bit of a heavy day. Have a lot on mind"

"Tell me about it" she whispered with a sigh. I could see that she was upset and it physically pained me to see her sad or worried.

"You okay?" I asked in sudden worry, my insides burning in anger demanding to go and hurt whoever dared to hurt her and was the reason for her current mood.

She gave a slow unsure nod "Yeah… I guess it will be okay with time. Things will get better…"

I nodded my head, quite not willing to leave the subject but knowing that Bella would not be comfortable with sharing more than this with the current hesitance evident in her tone.

"So I have actually wanted to talk to you properly without any unwanted passerby for some time now" I said putting a brave face on, after a rather nervous cough.

"Yeah I have been busy, sorry" she said apologetically almost as if she really meant every word of it.

"Yeah so…" I trailed off not knowing how to start. Why was this so tough? This was Bella, it shouldn't be this tough and it definitely wasn't when I had told Cherry everything, from how Mackenzie had befriended me barely a month after I moved to Pittsburgh to how we had started 'dating' and how acting like a possessive girlfriend she had asked me to dump my old friend only because she thought that I was cheating on her with Bella and like a foolish coward I had done so, only to realize that Mackenzie had made a fool of me all throughout.

"Earth to Paul" said Bella in amusement with a small smile gracing her face "Where were you lost"

I shook my head reciprocating a small smile "I actually wanted to clear the air of why I stopped replying to your mails when I first left La Push four years back. I know I owe you the answer and you definitely deserve to know what had happened and…" I took a deep breath stopping for a few seconds trying to frame the next sentence in my mind.

"It is okay Paul" she said softly in an understanding tone "Like you said I do definitely want to know why but I am ready to wait till you are ready to say so"

I nodded my head in gratitude knowing how brave and patient Bella was being at the moment but this had to be done now. It had been a long time coming.

"I have to get it out. Please just don't interrupt me. Let me finish" I said as she nodded her head and gestured for me to continue.

With a long deep breath I began to tell her how barely after a month of moving to Pittsburgh I had met Mackenzie Jacob who had been nearly two years older than me and was a popular cheerleader in school and how I had been attracted to her and foolishly believed that what I was feeling was love instead of just a ridiculous hormonal crush.

With a sigh I told her of how I had never expected Mackenzie to like me back but how after a daring move of a kiss, our 'friendship' had progressed to more and we had started dating and how I had thrived at the fact that because of being with her, I had suddenly become the most popular and sought after boy in school.

Bella listened quietly, tightening her fists in anger and pain when I spoke of how Mackenzie acted like she was jealous of Bella and our closeness and how she had demanded that if I wanted my relationship with her to survive I stop talking to Bella and how I had been a fool to do so thinking that I was in love and what I had with Mackenzie was real and so I had done it for her. I then told Bella of how mere weeks later I had found out that she had been playing with me and all she felt towards me was sexual. She had never loved me and all I had been for her was a great lay.

When I finished telling Bella of my side of the story, I finally looked up meeting her eyes which were filled with anger, insecurity, shock and even disbelief and I knew immediately that getting her to forgive me was not going to be as easy as I had earlier expected.

"Say something" I pleaded after a few heavy moments of daunting silence between us.

She opened her mouth to answer me before a deep painful cry from another direction grabbed our attention and the both of us turned to see from where it had come.

A weeping Leah Clearwater came out from the coverage of the trees a minute later and it looked like she was barely managing to keep herself together. Her arms were wrapped around her torso with her makeup completely smudged due to the sobs she was in and her hair a complete mess.

"Leah" Bella ran to where Leah now stood looking completely broken and so far from the Leah Clearwater I had seen growing up.

"He kissed her, Bella" mumbled Leah in broken hiccups "They were passionately kissing… I saw them"

"Who" asked Bella in mild confusion and almost in a whisper as if she was scared to hear what the answer was.

"Sam and Emily" broke down Leah grabbing her head in her hands and falling to the ground as Bella tried to console her by sitting next to her on the ground and supporting her by wrapping an arm around the weeping Leah.

"Let's take you home. This is all just a misunderstanding I am sure of it. You need to talk to Sam and solve it. It is not what it looks like" said Bella after a few minutes of silence, I could hear the fear and worry in her normally calm voice that was almost on the verge of trembling due to shock.

And even I was a bit shocked by the turn of events. Sam Uley had never seemed the kind to cheat on his girlfriend and he and Leah had been together for so long that it was a bit surprising to hear of this.

Bella kept consoling Leah as I looked at them feeling like I was trespassing and should leave but my feet refused to budge from the place where I had been standing.

Leah shook her head in fury "Not where Sam lives. I can't… I just can't, not now"

Bella nodded her head "Okay let's go back to my place for now"

Leah accepted that and Bella soon helped her in getting up and they started to walk in the direction of what I recognized as Bella's house. A few steps into their walk Bella turned to look at me with a silent nod conveying that she was sorry for the interruption and telling me that we would talk about this later but for now her family needed her she left and though she did not let it out, I knew that she needed time to think too and so now all I had to do was wait.

But isn't that the hardest thing to do?


	27. The after effects

Thank you .7334, sarae32, catgrl, Sassy Mami, brankel1, Twibookworm, MammaNita4 and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 6- The after effects

"Sam please" I said remorsefully closing my eyes briefly from the guilt and pain I felt uttering these next few words "You need to leave. She… She does not want to see you right now"

My head throbbed with an intense ache as I felt a deep sickness build within my stomach giving out the urge of throwing up with the impression that I was falling ill, a feat I was not even sure wolves were capable of with their fast healing and much higher than normal body temperature that easily killed all germs before they could even manifest. The dilemma I was facing at the moment was a terribly hard one, one that would no matter which side I chose cause me to lose. On one side was my brother, someone who I had known and loved for my entire life, someone who was my family and on the other side, was a broken girl who I had known for most of my life and was currently crying her eyes out in the room upstairs.

As a sister I wanted to take Sam's side no matter how wrong I felt his actions had been. He was family and he deserved his sister's support in whatever made him happy in life, even if it was with Emily who I did not really like much particularly but as a woman I really could not ignore Leah's cries of being cheated on, if I could even use that term. She needed a female support at this point of time and as another woman I felt that I needed to do that for her. She had always treated me like a younger sister and probably it was my turn to play the part now.

"I could smell her around in the party" said Sam, his voice filled with unknown fear and a bit of realization as he refused to budge from his place at the front door of the house. The pelting rain falling harshly from the sky in this dark moonless night did nothing to diminish his spirit.

"Did she…. Oh fuck!" he groaned out taking his head in his hands and kicking a large rock that was lying on the ground nearby in anger.

I nodded my head answering his unasked question as a glare overtook my face "Yes she saw you locking lips with Emily Young, her cousin out of all people" "How could you Sam?" I continued, muttering in disbelief with a scowl firmly placed on my face "I understand she is your imprint but how could you do this without breaking up with Leah first. She deserved at least that much from you and I thought you were fighting the imprint" I whispered afraid of getting the words out "Have you changed your decision?"

I crossed my fingers in trepidation as I waited for him to answer my question. I knew the pull towards the imprint was hard to fight and even Levi and Ellen had told me this time and again that Sam was fighting an already lost battle but I had never really wanted to accept this before. It was just hard to imagine Leah without Sam and Sam without Leah. They had been together since so long that a time when they were not together as a couple or even as friends was hard to imagine.

"Are you crazy?" he scowled back at me exasperated, his face twisting in anger as he started to shake violently "I love Leah and I have told you and everyone else this before several times that I am not going to let her go. I don't want anyone but her in my life and you all just need to accept it and stop interfering in our life" he shouted, his shakes increasing with every second almost to the point where he was starting to nearly look like a blur.

"Sam calm down" I said worriedly knowing that he was not in control of his anger at this point of time and if he were to phase, it would be like leaving a feral wolf out to play with the consequences too grave to consider. I used my rarely used alpha voice which I was sure to give results and soon Sam's shakes had lessened and so had the firm scowl placed on his face.

"And I don't have any intention of interfering in your life" I said softly clarifying "Contrary to what you think I don't get any sick pleasure from your and Leah's pain and sadness. I am just worried about you both"

A part of me was heavily disappointed and upset that Sam could think so low of me, that I would gain happiness and amusement from their life problems but I pushed that part down. Sam had always been known for saying stuff he really did not mean to the person who he knew did not deserve it, when he was angry. When angry some people slam doors and throw things, some shout and curse while some get completely quiet waiting for the cards of life to turn in their favor and my brother fell heavily under the second category and shouted and cursed when angry. Add into that the anger caused as a result of his decision to fight the imprint which was heavily present at all times these days and he was a time bomb waiting to explode.

He sighed, a heavy breath resounding from his throat "It is not you. I know you mean well. It is just that it is tough right now. Our every movement is being judged and questioned by people who should have had no say in our life in the first place and…" he trailed of in the end, kicking another stone that lay in the gravel and I nodded my head not knowing what to say to this but understanding where he was coming from. I knew that the council and all the 'oldies' who were aware of the secret and of imprinting had made Sam's life hell with the pressure of accepting the imprint and it was draining all the remaining energy out of him trying to get them of his back.

As a last resort I had tried too. I was his alpha. Wasn't it my job to see to it that my pack was content and satisfied in their lives? I had even gone to one of the 'only alpha is to attend' council meeting a few weeks backs and a shudder involuntarily left my body as the memories of that day drifted through my mind. Personal digs on my age and sex had been repeatedly made and after a point even getting offended had felt futile. It was of no use as the digs on me being just a 'mere child' or 'a stupid girl who is trying to act like a leader' had continued and by the time I had made it home that night, tears were drenching my face and my shirt was completely wet. I had never felt more violated in life and even naked even though I was completely dressed. It had taken my mother a good two hours to get me to calm down from all the sobs, first loud then dry and when Sam had found out of this, through my mother who refused to stay quiet on this matter, he had been livid and had firmly ordered and argued with me that I was never to attend these meetings again. If the council wanted to talk to their pack's alpha they would have to do so in front of the pack with Sam present there. The next day had also been monumental in a way as an angry and disappointed Allison had first visited Levi, who though had not said anything to me but even staying quiet against injustice is an equal crime and then to Billy who was the chief of the tribe and was guilty of the same crime as Levi. She had insisted sternly that I may have been only a sixteen year old female wolf who was destined to be the alpha but their spirits were the one who had taken this decision and so they had no right to insult and undermine me like this. I deserved as much respect and say as any male alpha would have received in the same situation. She had then later told me, taking my hand in hers that no matter what others thought of you, everyone was entitled to keep their say and give their opinion and if I wanted to survive in this world I would have to get used to criticism and judgments as that was how the world worked and as you got older your friends lessened and competitors competing for the same one position or place increased and one had no choice but to beat that competition and make their place in the world. There was always going to be someone there to pull you down, to ridicule you and to laugh at you when you fall but it was on you to fight all of that and move ahead in life becoming the person you are meant to be. If you think you are correct and what you are doing is justified stick to your stand as the results will show, if not now years from now but they will show. I had then hugged her tightly thanking for the hundredth time whoever was sitting up there and felt that I was blessed enough to have such a supportive and strong mother in life.

"So why did you do it then?" I asked Sam pushing all the previous thoughts revolving in my mind to the back of it to think of it later when I was alone "Why did you kiss Emily if you had no intention of accepting the imprint?"

"She tricked me okay" he shouted, his shakes beginning again "She made me do it and now that I think of it, I wouldn't put it past her to know that Leah was right there and would be seeing us together"

"What?" I asked puzzled. How could someone trick another person into kissing them if they did not want to?

He sighed "Phase with me. Instead of me telling you it is better if you see it yourself. You will understand better"

I nodded my head as the both of us went in opposite direction to undress and get into our wolf forms, tying our clothes to our legs to wear later on.

"Show it to me" I said as external memories that I knew were his flowed into my mind in a rush leaving me a bit unsteady on the feet.

_Sam's memories Begin (Sam's POV)-_

"_Samuel" purred a voice making me turn and look in the direction from where it was coming as I stood nearly a mile away from where the main party was located with people some known some unknown drenched in booze dancing to the loud tunes playing. _

_Why was I here? I still had no answer to that. I had not planned to come to this ridiculous excuse of a party but somehow my feet had led me here. I could have been running the woods at my own free will instead or even trying to convince Leah that I still loved her at this point of time but here I was, for what reason I had no idea of. _

"_Emily" I said in a monotone as she approached from the other side, coming and standing opposite me with a well placed smirk on her face "What are you doing here in La Push?" _

_I tightly held both my hands together in an attempt to not pull her into my arms which my wolf was currently planning of doing. I even contemplated the idea of stopping to breathe for a minute or two to avoid taking in her scent that the wolf found mind blowing and addictive but then decided against it as it is never a good idea to hold your breath as I had learnt from a disastrous childhood experience that still attempted to give me nightmares and the wolf would just have to learn to desensitize to it. _

_She shrugged in answer "I was just remembering you"_

_That explained it, why the wolf was so hell bent on coming in this direction. He could probably feel her calling to him. _

"_Oh why" I asked disinterestedly waiting for her to get bored of the conversation and get going from here. _

"_I think you know exactly why" she blushed, a gesture that threatened to make my insides melt but I somehow controlled myself coughing a bit out of discomfort. _

"_You know I have always liked you and wanted you" she said her voice sounding oh so genuine that the words spoken were all sounding secondary now "I was so jealous that Leah got you and I did not when I was a much better choice for you. She is rude and unapproachable and not at all homely and sweet like you deserve, like your wife and your children's mother should be but then again she got what she deserved in the end" she laughed, her voice sounding like the ringing of a million bells all together in perfect harmony. _

_I could feel my thoughts being clouded and my judgment wavering but I ignored it. This was Emily, my Emily, whatever she said was true and perfect just like her. _

"_And I got what I deserved in life" she said coming closer to me and wrapping her slender arms around my waist making me look into her eyes "I love you Sam. I have loved you for a while now. I am so happy that you are mine, finally. I have waited so long for you to get rid of her and look at me. All those boys were just a distraction to try to forget you but nothing ever worked and now I know why"_

_I smiled as I tightened my grip on her with her kissing me lightly on the chest. She loved me and waited for me. _

"_Won't you say that you love me?" she said biting her lip in slight sadness and doubt making me frown in anger at her sadness. She was not supposed to be sad, ever. _

_Did I love her? I tried to remember for the life of me but could not. Why couldn't I remember anything other than Emily right now? _

_I took a look at her again. Her russet skin that glowed, her long straight mid black length hair and almond shaped brown eyes that were perfect and so very innocent and her smile that could light up a building. _

_Yes, I probably did love her_

_I nodded my head as she pouted. _

"_I want you to say it to me" she said as I instantly complied not willing to keep her upset for any longer than a second. _

"_I love you" I said the words feeling wrong as it left my mouth but still so right in the periphery of my muddled__brain. _

_A huge grin made its way on her face as she looked into my eyes, the love she felt for me perfectly visible in them. _

"_Won't you kiss me Sam?" she said blinking her eyes once hypnotizing me with her beautiful simplicity. _

"_C'mere" I said pulling her to me as close as it was possible to as our lips met in a heated exchange of passion and love. I had kissed many times before but nothing could ever compare to this in life. She tasted like chocolate, my favorite chocolate that I could eat anytime and in any quantity and I just could not stop myself from relishing on it as I refused to let her away from me for even a second now. _

_Suddenly I smelled a scent I recognized vaguely enough and like a curtain was all of a sudden raised I pulled apart, my eyes widening as I came back to reality, everything that happened till now feeling like a ridiculous alcohol induced haze though I had not drunk even a sip. _

"_What the fuck is wrong with you?" I shouted pushing her away from me. What was I doing? Why was I kissing her? What had just happened to me? _

"_You told me you loved me. You wanted to kiss me" she protested trying to get close to me again. _

"_No I love Leah. I don't even like you forget loving you" I said spitting the words out _

"_Look into my eyes and say this" she said angrily and I could even detect a bit of ill willed hope in her tone. _

"_No" I said loud and clear something within me telling me not to do as she said. It was a trap it said. _

"_But Samuel" she whined in her perfect voice…._

"_No" I said firmly stopping myself in my place. I had to get away from this. She was somehow clouding my mind and making me say and do things that I did not want to do. _

"_Get away from me and stay away from me" I said harshly as I took into the opposite direction running back to Forks. I needed Leah near me. I needed my home and my heart with me._

_Sam's memories End. _

"Oh" I said too confused and disoriented by what I had just seen in Sam's mind. Was something like this even possible? I could feel that she had tricked him but how was the question here.

"Yeah oh" he repeated equally sadly and upset by this turn of events.

"How do you think she did that though?" I asked finally "She was somehow clouding your thoughts I assume from what I got on seeing your memories"

He nodded his head mentally as well as physically "Yeah when I was with her, the only thing I could think about was her and how to keep her happy. Whatever made her happy was what I agreed on no matter what I wanted in life"

"Sounds like this is something to do with the imprint" I stated my doubt rather than asked

"That is the closest that I could come up to" he said agreeing "It was in her eyes though. Every time I looked into her eyes it felt like I was losing myself and becoming something else. Almost like she was hypnotizing me and commanding me to be her Samuel" He scoffed in disgust

"Crap" I asked in shock and bewilderment "Does an imprint have that much power over the wolf?"

I had not felt any such hypnotizing power on me when I had spoken to Paul these past few times and internally I was even assured that Paul would never misuse such an intense power if he were to know of the imprint. He was just not the kind to do so but then again this was Emily Young who had admitted to being in love with her sister's boyfriend for all these years all the while wishing the worst for the same cousin and so maybe she could be using it to her advantage.

He nodded his head "Maybe. But I have never read of something like this in our legends"

"I guess we need to research more on this" I agreed with him "But what now? You know Emily can use this to her advantage and the chances are high that she will in the future too"

He sighed "Stay away from her till I find out a way out of this" "But Bella, please talk to Leah. I need to explain it to her that it did not mean anything with Emily. She tricked me though I don't even know how I will explain it to her without being able to tell her the truth"

I nodded my head in agreement. It was surely going to be tough for Sam and Leah to move past this incident without Leah knowing of Emily's deception.

"I will try talking to her" I said softly "But Sam I cannot guarantee if she will be willing to listen. It is not my place to meddle and…"

He interrupted me "If she will listen to someone it is you. I know Leah, I know she is stubborn and strong headed but I also know that she adores you and knows that you only want her best and will not steer her wrong"

I gave him a silent nod "I should get going. It has been a long day. You too should get some rest and anyways Levi's patrol should be starting anytime now so you can get off patrolling till tomorrow morning"

"Okay boss" he said with a chuckle as I turned to glare at him. He knew that I did not like being called 'boss' as I was no boss but still at times he insisted on using it, if only it was to annoy me.

He once again chuckled playfully, his mood lightening a bit after our talk, as he made his way towards Forks with me phasing back in the coverage of the trees and going inside the house.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Bella, I really am in no mood for this" said Leah sighing, repeating her earlier spoken words as she sat on the seat beside mine in my truck "I don't even feel that good. I think I will just go back"

"No" I protested loudly and she looked at me taken aback, surprised at my loud scream "I mean you should come. You have hardly left the house in these past four days and spending time with the others will do good for you?" I questioned rather that stated in my nervousness of making her agree to come with me.

"You said this the last time too" she whispered under her breath and I instantly became quiet, a bit ashamed of myself. I knew she was talking of coming to the party as I was the one to convince her to come and indirectly I was the one who had made it possible for Emily to deceive Sam and enact the entire scene in front of Leah. So a big part of it was my fault too even if it was unintentional and not even thought of in my wildest dream.

"Hey" she said making me look at her "It is not your fault in whatever twisted way you are thinking it is. You are not responsible for Sam kissing Emily and me catching them both. They both are to blame not you. Your intentions were good. You only wanted me to catch a break. No one could have imagined something like this would happen"

I nodded my head, glad that she did not blame me for this as I turned to look ahead and drive to my destination, Kim's house and she went back to her earlier stance of looking outside the window.

"So what movie are we seeing?" she asked excitedly a minute later though I could tell that majority of the excitement was fake and just a cover but then again at least she was trying.

I mumbled the answer as I pondered over how we had reached to this point. After my talk with Sam where I had assured him that I would try talking to Leah whose sadness had now turned to anger and disgust and even more questions regarding what she considered Sam and Emily's backstabbing, I had thought that the job would be easy. I would just have to go and talk to her, try to convince her enough to just listen to what Sam had to say to explain himself but then Leah had stopped me in the tracks with her one statement that I had nothing to argue against leaving me on the crossroads completely stumbled.

"Bella, there is no explanation that can justify cheating in this world. It has no explanation, never had and never will have. Neither can it be justified nor can it be considered an excuse for someone else's behavior. The person who chooses to cheat is well aware of their action and needs to consider the consequences that come with the act too"

And so that was that. After that Leah had temporarily moved into the guest room in our house as she wanted some time away from Sam to think and calm herself down and a distraught Sam had persuaded me once again to give it a try. He needed to talk to Leah and she was just not ready to come in front of him, questions such as was Sam and Emily's kiss a onetime thing or had it happened before and if yes, till what extent was their 'intimacy' and since when swirling through her mind but she was too scared to confront these demons that were still hidden in the closet.

Now under normal circumstances I would have refused as I strongly believed that there was no place for the interference of a third in a relationship of two but considering special circumstances call for special measures and this was definitely one of those special circumstances I had agreed to give it one try from my side to get them to talk.

A convenient movie night invitation by Kim, okay confession I was the one to force her to throw it in the first place, had given us this chance and so here we were, on the way to her house where Sam would also be there unknown to Leah, invited by Kim as her guest giving the other guests no say in who she called and did not call at her place.

Rather convenient isn't it?

We covered the rest of the distance in silence and soon I parked outside Kim's house, getting out and grabbing the box of chocolate chip muffins I had made for Kim's brother Max who had recently turned twelve and was completely in love with my baking and insisted on it every time he saw me. I had also made another box especially for the boys tonight as I knew very well that poor Max would not get a bite of his muffins if left alone with the other bottomless pits that were to be here tonight.

"Hey" said Jared as he opened the door, wearing an apron filled with pink and purple flowers which literally shouted that it belonged to Kim, making me giggle as I took his appearance in.

"Ha ha, laugh all you want" he said sarcastically "But you will definitely not be laughing when you taste my mini prosciutto, olive and fennel pizza bites with drizzled honey and Bacon Jalapeno popcorn"

I hid my laugh with my hand knowing well that no matter the names, his made food would really be to wait for. Though I had never actually tried it, Kim had often told me that she lucked out as Jared was brilliance in the kitchen and even simple dishes such as sandwiches turned out to be something completely different and delicious when it came to him. I also knew that he wanted to open his own restaurant in La Push after graduating and was currently trying to collect enough for financing all the costs that would occur.

"Hey Leah" he said turning to look at her as she stood by me looking nervous and hesitant "It is good to see you"

She nodded her head with a small smile "Yea same here"

He let us enter the house and I quickly walked to the kitchen to drop in the muffins and where Kim was making some nachos for the rest of us, most of who would be here soon enough.

"Need some help" I asked as I put the muffins on the counter

She shrugged "Nah it is all done. You know Jared and how particular he is when it comes to his domain, the kitchen. He hardly lets me to do anything with the fear that I will ruin his 'masterpiece'"

I laughed at the annoyed and frustrated expression on her face.

"So all done" I confirmed asking of the plan that the both of us had so carefully planned and was now waiting to be orchestrated.

She nodded her head with a glint of amusement on her face "Yup Sam will be here soon and after that it is on them both"

I sighed as I agreed with her. Kim, bless her had not asked any questions when I had told her of what had happened between Sam and Leah, it was a misunderstanding that was just not getting the chance to be cleared out and she had instantly agreed in helping me out in whatever way we could to arrange their meeting.

We soon left the kitchen with a plate of nachos and caramel popcorn in our hands only to see that Jared and Leah were sitting and talking on the couch while even Embry and Jacob had arrived in our absence.

I sat next to Jacob talking to him about anything and nothing in particular when the doorbell rang and Kim went to answer it.

"You" she said with a confused, unable to figure out expression on her face as she looked at whoever was outside the door "Jared sweetie, could you come here for a minute" she said in an overly sweet voice in the next sentence, that definitely meant trouble.

"Uh oh someone's in trouble" Jake mocked with a laugh only to receive a middle finger in return from Jared who quickly left to go by Kim's side.

They talked for a few minutes in whispers with me tuning out knowing that if they were whispering it was not for our ears and soon Kim opened the door widely for this particular guest.

"Come in Paul" said Jared patting him on the back in a friendly gesture, making me look at them like a deer in the headlights as he was definitely not someone I had expected to see here with him specifically not being on Kim's favorites list and a big part of me was even not ready to see him yet.

Paul entered the living room where the rest of us sat with his eyes raised, an expression of amusement clearly shown on his face and sat next to Embry on the couch quick to take a bite of the nachos that were placed in front of him.

I could feel it that his eyes were on me and he wanted me to look back at him but I stubbornly refused to meet his eyes at this point of time. I was still conflicted, majorly upset and angry on what he had told me earlier of how he had dumped me, dumped our friendship because one of his exes who he thought he was in love with asked him to stop talking to me as she was jealous of our friendship. It was humiliating to be honest of how less he thought of our friendship. How easy it was for him to move on and pretend like what we shared was nothing of importance. I had always thought that I was as important in his life as he was in mine but maybe I had been wrong all these years. Was I that easy to replace? And this feeling of hurt was difficult to get past… at least at this point of time when the wounds were still fresh.

Yes, he was my imprint. Yes, I did probably still feel something for him that had lasted all these years ever since I knew what it meant to like someone, what it meant to desire to be with someone, what it meant to wish to be in someone's thoughts just like they were in yours but was that enough in life. Was respect nothing?

I didn't know if it was overreaction or not but at this point of time I felt like he had not or did not respect me enough to take into consideration of my feelings and how hurt I had been because of his actions and that hurt more than I wished to put in words…

I needed time to think, to accept his reasons for breaking our friendship if I could ever move past this. Maybe I could in the future but it would definitely require time and even a bit of effort from his side. I needed to be sure that he did not think of me as someone he could easily leave when it did not suit him anymore. I wanted to be his priority not his damn option and I was definitely clear on this.

"Ladies your wish has been fulfilled, here I am" said a jovial Quil as he entered the living room with a grin on his face, lightening the stressful mood a bit and making me also smile despite my thoughts that were heavy and gloomy at the moment.

"No one understands sheer brilliance these days" he said with a deep sigh of regret as he sat on the couch munching on the popcorn making the rest of us giggle and chuckle at his childish antics.

"Can we start?" asked Leah looking at Kim, asking if we could start the movie now that most of us were here.

"Yeah just one last guest we are waiting on" said Kim as the door bell rang and I crossed my fingers knowing exactly who was on the other side. I hoped and prayed that everything would be okay today and the problems between Sam and Leah would be solved by the end of tonight.

Jared went to open the door and Sam entered the room just as Leah stiffened on the couch, her face a mask of impassiveness.

"Sam" she muttered in a voice that was cold and distant

"I invited him. I hope that is not a problem" said Kim acting all innocent as Leah shook her head reluctantly.

Ignoring the tense environment around us, Sam sat down and Kim put on the movie for us to begin watching. Soon the rest of us engrossed ourselves in the screen laughing and sighing wherever required. The silence was welcome and even the few comments Quil and Jacob passed only lightened the tension around us with Leah refusing to even look at Sam and Paul continuously staring at me trying to guilt me into looking at him which only resulted in Sam growling at him and Leah getting upset because of Sam's changed nature and the ability to now remove what she considered 'uncivilized animal like sounds'.

"I will just be back" said Leah mid movie as she got up from her seat and walked towards the bathroom.

"Oh. I have to take this call" stumbled Sam over his words, pretending to look at his phone as he too exited the room not even a minute later leaving the rest of us to watch the movie.

"Hey… the popcorn is over" said Embry with a sad expression on his face a few minutes later, almost like the world was coming to an end, showing us the now empty tub.

"Give it to me. I will refill it" I said with a laugh as I took the tub from him and walked towards the kitchen to refill the popcorn.

I was humming to myself a tune I had heard in the morning on the radio and was now constantly on my mind when I heard a sound behind me making me turn all of sudden.

"Bella, can we talk" asked Paul as he stood at the door of the kitchen.


	28. The first step is friendship

A/N: Firstly a big thank to all of you who review the chapters. It means a lot and is very motivating. I might not individually reply to each one of you but I do read and try to make my story better by keeping in mind what you think of the characters and the plot line. Now to answer the question of why I made Bella cry in the previous chapter during the council meeting- If you see the childhood that the Bella in my story has had, it has been a very sheltered one. Her mother and brothers made sure that she never had to deal with the cruel real side of the world and so this is somewhat her first experience of a world where people don't hold back from criticizing and putting you down and giving their own opinion without considering your feelings. Yes, Bella is confident in her own skin but still she is a sixteen year old Kid in more ways than one. She is still young to have the 'I don't care what you think of me because I know who I am' thinking/acceptance. In my opinion generally adults who have seen a bit of the world or even teenagers who have had a hard life have that and Bella falls under neither. And yes, I will be showing her as a strong alpha in the coming chapters but metaphorically speaking she needs to learn to walk before she can run and right now the Bella of my story is learning how to be an Alpha wolf and more than that how to be an adult before you actually become one. So please give her a chance. Now on with the chapter, I hope you like it and I know that it has been a while since I last updated but things came up. I hope to be more regular in the future.

**Also a Happy New Year to all my readers, Hope you have a great year ahead!**

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 7- The first step is friendship

Paul POV-

"Bella, can we talk" I asked as I saw Bella turn and look at me, the low melodious humming she had on suddenly stopping as her expression turned to one of embarrassment at being caught unaware.

Damn! She looked so cute when her face turned red due to embarrassment. Her face would scrunch up in an adorable manner as she tried to hide her face, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone. It was somewhere between a blush and a frown and if it wasn't the cutest thing I had ever seen, I don't know what was.

"Paul?" she asked hesitantly as I grinned wide like a Cheshire cat at my stray of thoughts, no wonder making her tad bit uncomfortable as no one grinned that wide for any good reason "Did you want anything?"

Her eyebrows rose in question when I failed to answer in first go before I realized my mistake and quickly opened my mouth to answer, chastising myself for being an idiot "Umm yeah, do you have a soda?"

Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

This was where I was supposed to say 'yes I wanted to talk to you' not ask for a damn soda which I did not even want in the first place.

Being around Bella Uley sure did weird things to my brain… like make my cells leave for a vacation…. Crossing the oceans and countless cities, countries and continents before it settled somewhere in the thick snow of Antarctica….

"Right… Soda" she said with a nod of the head disbelievingly as she walked up to the fridge to take out the soda from it "Kim has Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper…"

"Coke will do" I said interrupting her and accepting the can from her outstretched hands.

"So" she said after a few minutes of silence as I noticed the tub of popcorn that she had originally entered the kitchen to refill was now completely full "I should get back. I don't want to miss the movie. The next scene is particularly my favorite"

I rolled my eyes at her words knowing well that they were just said for the heck of it as an excuse to get out of here. Anyone with an eye who was even paying half attention to the surroundings would know that Bella had not even seen a minute of the movie going on, as her mind was somewhere else only. I had caught the glazed lost look in her eyes way too many times to count in the past one hour to know of this.

"Bella wait" I said stopping her as she took two steps in the direction of the door. She turned to look at me with an expression of confusion, fear and annoyance in her eyes before it was masked by indifference and nonchalance almost as if she was hiding her real self and feelings from being exposed.

I flinched at her behavior. I hadn't known that she would need to put a mask over her real self when she was around me and this realization hurt terribly.

I had thought that we were friends and friends didn't mask their true feelings around the other.

"I wanted to talk to you" I said after taking in a deep breath preparing myself to say the words out

"Okay" she said with a nod "About what"

I groaned out. This was not going to be easy "You know about what"

"I do" she said, her voice taking on an edge I did not even know she possessed "But I still want to hear it from you"

Okay, if be it so "About what I told you the other day of why I stopped replying to your emails and I also know that you have been ignoring me since…"

"If you know so much why are you asking" she said surprising me with the rudeness in her voice

"Bella" I called out trying to get some sort of clarity on the matter

"No Paul" she shouted firmly "You do not get to storm in, in here and demand answers from me. It does not work that way. I need time okay. No one prepares to deal with stuff like this in their life. I need time to think and understand and react"

I nodded my head in understanding yet somewhat reluctantly. Patience had never been one of my virtues. I had always been the kind to want and do things at the moment as one never knew what the future would bring in its unpredictability.

"I know you are hurt…" I started to say

"Hurt?" she questioned with her eyebrows rose "You are damn right I am hurt. I feel like I mattered so less in your life that you just picked me up and threw me out without even giving it a bit of a thought as if I was yesterday's newspaper that you no longer required"

I flinched at her words. I knew her anger was justified but still it hurt to hear all of this.

"I am not done Paul" she said sternly making me look up at her "Do you want to hear more? Do you want more answers in life of how less I feel right now, how I feel as if our friendship that I had thought meant something, meant absolutely nothing to you…"

"I did not want to do this okay" I said losing my calm. It was tough for me too to just stop talking to her but I had been a fool in 'love' who had thought that he was doing the right thing at that time. "I was trying to save my relationship. I thought I was in love"

She sighed closing her eyes before she opened them again, a firm determination in her eyes "Why does it matter to you?"

"Why does what matter?" I asked in confusion

"Me" she replied "Why do you care of whether we are friends or not? Why does it matter in your life if we talk or not. You don't talk or did try to reconnect with everyone on the res, why am I an exception?"

I looked at her for a few minutes, not knowing how to answer that. Why did Bella matter in my life?

I had no fixed answer to that. Yes, we were friends but like she said, I did not go around trying to reconnect every friendship I had lost over the years.

Maybe it was because she was Bella, not because she was just a friend I had lost due to my own bad decisions. She was different. She had known me in and out and never once judged me. She had not cared that I had a crappy home or a father who could not have cared less of whether I was living or dead. She had not cared that I had a reputation that preceded me or that I was known as the bad, without any future boy of La Push. She had just cared of who Paul Lahote was as a person and maybe that was what had pulled me towards her or maybe it was something else but all I knew was that I needed her in my life, more so after I had moved back here. It was like a constant nudge in my brain which wanted to make everything alright with her, which worried about her at all times and wished to be close to her.

"Because…because you are you" I stuttered not knowing how to explain all this to her but still trying to.

"Glad to know that" she said sarcastically putting the tub of popcorn on the counter beside her and covering her face with her hands, almost like she was tired and drained out of energy.

An impulsive, irrational thought within me wanted to just pull her into my arms and see to it that she was never stressed or upset in life again but I pushed that like I said irrational thought away. She was already upset. I did not need to make it worse for me.

"I know I made a mistake. I screwed up" I said knowing well that I had goofed up and I was man enough to admit that "But come on all of us make mistakes and we are friends…"

"Friends" she scoffed "No Paul, we 'were' friends. As of now we are just two awkward strangers or rather acquaintances who are trying to live in the past and correct whatever wrong happened between us four years back"

"How could you say that?" I asked shocked by her minced unapologetic words "We are friends"

She shook her head taking a deep breath as if trying to build up her courage "Do you know what I want to do after graduation? If I want to go to college or not"

I shook my head slightly. No I did not have an answer to that. We had never spoken of 'so far' in the future at the age of twelve and thirteen.

"Do you know what is my favorite color or my favorite food or my favorite movie?"

Of course I knew that "Your favorite color is Black, your favorite food is pizza and your favorite movie is Titanic" I answered simply

She shook her head "Yes, my favorite color was Black, my favorite food was pizza and my favorite movie was Titanic when I was twelve" she said emphasizing on the 'was' "But people change with time. Likes and dislikes change. You grow up and mature out. Like you don't know anything of me today, I don't know anything of who Paul Lahote is today. I can guess but I don't know with full surety like a friend would know. We drifted apart Paul"

I sighed knowing that her words were the truth. We had drifted apart in these past four years.

"But we can start again, can't we?" I asked a bit impatiently. A feeling in me was craving and begging to make this better in any way possible.

"Yes we can" she said after a minute of silence making me leave a breath out in relief "But how do I know that this time around I won't be treated like crap when you get tired of me? How do I know that I am not subjecting myself to another round of hurt and vulnerability? You know Paul when you stopped replying to my emails, I was distraught. I felt like I had done something wrong to push you away, only if I had known" she laughed out a bitter laugh "It took a lot of energy out of me trying to think of what I did wrong. I can't and won't do it all again. I am not exposing myself to this again. If we become friends I demand respect from you. Respect is very important for me and I want to know that I am not someone who you keep on the sidelines to just push away when you 'fall in love' again" she said her eyes closing in pain and a shudder leaving her body as she said the last words.

I sighed. She was not a second option or a used newspaper in my life. She was my friend, my best friend but unknowingly I had hurt her the most with my one wrong decision. I knew how much respect mattered to Bella. She was self respecting but not egoistic and she wished for that same bit of respect from others too which she offered them with.

"I understand" I said with a nod

"You make a mistake once Paul. The next time you make the same mistake it is a habit" she whispered

"Can we be friends?" I asked hesitantly "Give me one chance to correct myself"

She nodded her head after a few heavy never ending seconds before putting her hand forward for me to shake.

I looked at her outstretched hand in confusion before meeting her eyes which were glistening with unshed tears as if this entire conversation had taken a toll on her and had left her completely drained out.

"Hi I am Bella Uley, nice to meet you" she said putting her hand up for me to shake

"Paul Lahote and the feeling is mutual" I said with my best charming smile kissing her outstretched hand instead of shaking it.

She smiled, a small smile though, but I knew that our second round of mending bridges had begun. The first step to any relationship no matter between whom and how was friendship and here we were out to take the first step, once again all these years later.

"Bella" said Kim looking worried as she stood at the door of the kitchen "What happened you took a while to come out again. They boys are going crazy demanding popcorn" she laughed though her eyes kept shifting between me and Bella with the same worried look on her face before he eyes met mine in an 'I don't like you and stay away from my best friend' glare which I dutifully ignored like always.

"Yeah sorry" said Bella "Lost track of time talking"

"Yeah I understand" said Kim sweetly with a nod "Some people just like wasting other people's time no matter if they are liked or not" she said looking at me as if pointing the words at me. I rolled my eyes. I still had no idea what I had done to face such 'ire' in my life but knowing that this was Kim Connweller it was probably something ridiculous and childish just like her. Whenever I looked at her, I was reminded of a stuck up child throwing a temper tantrum. It was a shock to me how someone like Bella could be best friends with Kim but then again, I guess like they say opposites attract and empty vessels make the most noise which was true in the case of Kim.

"Let's go" said Bella picking the tub from the counter again and walking towards the door.

"Oh by the way" said Kim giving Bella a worried look "Sam and Leah left"

"Together?" asked Bella in an hopeful tone

Kim shook her head with a sympathetic look on her face "Leah left first storming out. Sam followed behind"

"Oh" said Bella looking low

"I don't think the plan worked" whispered Kim

Bella nodded her head "Well at least we tried"

Kim then took Bella's hand and led her outside to where the others were leaving me in the kitchen alone.

'What plan?' I wondered taking the sip of the now warm soda. Knowing Bella it was possibly a plan to reunite Sam and Leah. They were her real life OTP, one she rooted for desperately and would do anything to bring back together.

"Well, to each his own" I said aloud with a shrug to my shoulders as I walked out of the kitchen to the living room, a new stride in my steps and a smirk on my face.

X-X-X-X-X

'How to be a good friend' I typed slowly in the Google search box in the opened page on my laptop as I sat on my bed with my laptop placed firmly in my lap.

I knew it was stupid. I should not have to read an article to figure out how to be a friend but this time around I was not ready to take any risks whatsoever. I was determined to be a good friend and prove myself worthy to Bella and if the way to be that was through reading a damn article, then so be it. There was no place for mistakes here and knowing my track record, it was very likely that I would be making some and so like they say, when in doubt Google it out.

Okay... 'Here are nine ways you can become a great friend'

Perfect! I clicked at it waiting for the tab to reload and open.

'Nine tips for being a great friend' hmm… that is what I am here for.

I scrolled down quickly ignoring the given introduction in an attempt to reach the points.

Be real-

Okay, that is something I was. I was unapologetically real and believed in being the way I was no matter what others thought. So no problem there and one point ticked.

Next….

Be honest-

Okay I generally always called a spade a spade and was in fact brutally honest. I was reliable too well at most times and ninety percent of the times said the truth. So no problem there too and another point ticked.

Take an interest in the details of your friend's life by being a good listener-

Hmm… something I will have to work on, my past conquests always pointed out that I was a terrible listener and Cherry did not care of these things enough to point out, so yeah one cross.

Next…

Make time for your friend-

Hmm… okay point noted. But what if Bella isn't free like she isn't these days? Wait Google I need an answer…

Moving on….

Keep their secrets-

Aha now we are talking. I was trustworthy and never told one's secrets to the other no matter how much they coaxed. Point ticked and we go to the next point.

Encourage your friend-

Hmm… something to work on, another point crossed.

Be loyal to your friend-

Okay big cross coming up there and the entire reason why I am here reading through this article.

Be willing to work through conflict-

Okay… can be done…

Watch out for your friend-

'Stop your friend from making mistakes' read the article. Wait does dating Jasper Hale count in this?

The shrill ringing of my phone pulled me out of my determination to go and somehow stop Bella from dating that creepy creepster and I quickly picked it up answering the call.

"Yeah?" I answered failing to see who was on the line

"Fucker, what are you doing?" said a cheery familiar voice that no doubt belonged to the one and only Cherry who first cursed then spoke.

"Was online, searching how to be a friend" I said without thinking it through, realizing my mistake a minute after the words left my mouth.

"What" she laughed loudly making me wince at my stupidity of telling her "Which girl is this that has you by the balls enough to do this?"

I scowled, though I knew that she could not see me "No one you need to worry about and anyways it is a long story. I will tell you later"

"Oh touchy" she said with another round of giggles "And for your kind information, your later is about to come sooner than you think"

"What" I asked confused

"Well let's just say in around four hours I will have my answer"

"Uh what" I tried again exasperated

"I am in Seattle. Just exited the airport, taking a cab for La Push"

"Are you serious?" I shouted as a huge grin broke onto my face

"Yup" she said and I could hear the happiness in her voice "I was missing you so here I am"

"Cool I am sending you the address" I said, the smile on my face never once leaving and after talking to her for a few more minutes I cut the call waiting for her to arrive in La Push.

Life was finally looking up, Cherry was on her way to La Push and 'mission- to be a friend' was about to commence.


	29. The Green eyed monster

Thank you sarae32, brankel1, .7334, catgrl and the guest reviewers for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 8- The Green eyed monster

Unknown POV-

"So what do you think Detective E?" I asked in all seriousness to my partner as I turned to look at him waiting to hear his observations on our current topic of investigation.

He frowned rubbing his chin with his hand dramatically as if deep in thought making me roll my eyes at his melodrama.

"I think there are definite feelings here, Detective C" he said finally after taking all the time possible in the world making me roll my eyes once again. Sigh.

"Duh State the obvious, why don't you" I said sarcastically, not even making the effort to hide my irritation.

He gave me a 'What the hell' look "I think we decided to be professional here Detective C and not criticize the other's analysis no matter how baseless or general they sound to us"

I sighed. Fine we will play by the rules tattletale.

"My apologies Detective E" I said as sweetly as I could muster "So like you said after observing our chosen 'subjects' I too think that there is more than friendship here"

"Hmm" he said again acting to don the fake cap of a deep thinker "So are they clueless or…" he trailed off at the end looking at me waiting for my answer.

"I think they both know somewhere down there of their true feelings for the other, but are probably too chicken to admit it. Maybe fear of it not being reciprocated"

He nodded his head in agreement "Good observation Detective C"

I smiled my best in pride, playing along "Thank you Detective E"

"So now the question remains how should we proceed?" he asked with a serious look on his face and I covered my mouth with my hand in an attempt to cover the loud guffaws that were about to escape. Seriousness and he were generally not considered as synonyms.

"Detective E, how averse is you to the idea of matchmaking?" I asked raising an eyebrow in question

"Considering the fact that I have been an equal part of our research, I wouldn't say much" he said with a sigh "Well of course I have my hesitance and would rather not agree to this but then again small sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and for the happiness of another"

I nodded my head at his words knowing the sincerity in them "But we do have one considered to be a big problem here, Detective E. I have reports that the girl chosen in our study is in a relationship with Jasper Hale residing in Forks who is the son of the local doctor. That can cause a hindrance in our investigation"

He gave me a look of sheer surprise "I am afraid you are mistaken Detective C and your source of information has probably misled you as I can assure that our subject and Jasper Hale are not together. All they share is a good friendship"

I gave him a contemplative nod surprised by his words and the surety they came with as I had been told otherwise from a very reliable source "So I guess the plot thickens and someone is creating misunderstandings between them both"

He gave me a long 'hmm' as if telling me that we will have to investigate on that later but for now we had other things to concentrate on "But how will we begin? They have been playing 'friends' since a month now and neither is ready to take the next step"

I sighed. Yes, that was unfortunately correct. It had been a month since they had become 'friends' now but yet neither was ready to accept that what they shared was more than friendship and they had feelings for the other though apart from them both everyone around could see this.

"I guess we can play it by ear or…" I stopped mid sentence as a plan formed in my mind causing my eyes to glint in mischief "or else we can set up such 'coincidences' wherein they are forced to accept and react on their feelings for the other"

"I guess you are right Detective C" he said with a huge grin as the wheels in my brain churned to plan the first of our many such 'coincidences' that would bring them closer.

_One month earlier- _

Bella POV-

Did you know hate, detest, loathe, abominate, abhor, despise, shun, execrate- all these different words and even some more share one thing in common. All of them in some way or the other mean dislike and the basic act to not like the other and yet with so many words that convey the same meaning, I still had no words that could clearly convey what I felt for Charlotte Williams or Cherry like she had told me to call her.

Did you also know that there is not one given word known to us that can describe the exact feeling of hating on someone, even before you knew their name or anything about them but still what I was feeling came close to this. I knew it was irrational, I knew it was uncalled for and I also knew that it was probably childish but still I did not care as something about her just caused me to not like her, instantly and intensively.

'Maybe it is jealously' a small part of me shouted in my head but I pushed that part down immediately. Of course I was not jealous. I had no reason to be so. So what if she was sitting next to My Paul on the small couch with his hand lying loosely on the back of the couch close to where her shoulders were or what if they were whispering at times to one another completely lost in their own conversation. No I was not jealous, I just had the intense urge to go and strangle her neck or better and less violent option yet, give her a one way ticket back to whichever hole she came here from with a warning to never come back or she would have to face the option A.

"Bella" said Cherry in her optimistic cheerful voice, rudely pulling me out of my envisioned perfect La- La Land wherein she would just disappear in thin air never to return again. How could someone be so perfectly happy and cheery at all times was beyond me but the Cherry that sat before me was a fucking ray of sunshine, which I repeat I did not like at all.

"Where are you lost?" she asked trying to get my attention once again "Paul here was telling me that the diner in Forks is the place to go to when you crave decent food in these parts so we were just thinking of going there. You in?" she smiled a big grin looking at me making the frown on my face widen.

God I hated her and her over exuberant self!

"Umm I am not sure. I have homework to do and…" I started making an excuse of the non-existent homework I had as no thank you but spending time with Charlotte Williams was really not on my to do list, now or ever.

"Hey Bella" said Paul interrupting "Come with us. It will be fun. You can do your homework later"

"Oh okay if you insist" I said with a smile, happy with the realization that Paul still wanted me there, ignoring the fact that I had just taken a very visible and noticeable 360 degree turn from my earlier stance of deciding to not go but I guess whatever, people change their mind all the time.

Now the only thing I needed to do was ignore Cherry like the plague the entire time that I was there. Should be easy, shouldn't it?

"Hey, even I am coming. I am hungry" said Jake from his place on the armchair in the ancient looking living room of Paul's house where we all were at the moment.

"Yeah me too. I am dying of hunger here" said Quil with a nod, rubbing his stomach to indicate that he was hungry making me roll my eyes at the over exaggeration in his tone. No one could tell that these bottomless pits had eaten Pbj sandwiches less than hour ago.

Embry murmured the same keeping his eyes on the Rubik Cube in his hands that he had been trying to solve unsuccessfully since the past half hour but he was still going at it, not willing to accept defeat.

"Kimmy and me are also in?" said Jared looking at Kim for her answer who in return just shrugged muttering "Yeah fine whatevs" giving me a look that clearly stated that Cherry and she were never going to be the best of friends.

I knew if there was someone who I could trust out of this bunch of traitors who had so quickly taken a liking to this unknown spoiling our peace and happiness Cherry in just the few hours that we had known her in, it was Kim. I don't know if this was a part of the 'girl best friend code' or this was just our friendship but if Kim did not like or trust someone around, I generally made it a point to stay away from them trusting her on her judgments even if I personally did not know them and Kim did the same for me trusting me on my judgments of who was good to keep near and who was not, knowing that we would not steer the other wrong.

I know I know Paul is an exception to that as Kim has left no stone unturned in making her hatred for him known but then again I had known Paul for years, longer and better than she had and secondly and more importantly he was my imprint and so obviously he could not be put under the same category.

"Great" said Cherry excitedly with a jump making me roll my eyes at her ridiculous over the top behavior.

The eight of quickly divided ourselves in groups of four so as to not take more cars than necessary with us and with that we left Paul's house for the Forks Diner with me begrudgingly being pushed into Jared's car as for some reason Embry and Cherry who were having an ongoing conversation on Star Wars wanted to be in the same car with Paul driving and Quil accompanying them who too wanted to butt into the conversation. So naturally that left me, Jared, Kim and Jake in the other car with Jared driving.

"God she is such a bitch" said Kim as soon as the car started and we were on the road to Forks.

"Kimmy, you don't even know her" said Jared exasperated at the same time as I exclaimed from the back seat "I know right!"

"Shush Jared, Girl talk" said Kim chiding him, making him sigh and shake his head at Kim's antics. Kim turned to look at me, ignoring the confused and honestly even a bit terrified expression on Jake's face as she spoke "You know Bella, I just don't get a good vibe from her. Something about her just rubs me the wrong way ever since we saw her for the first time. I just don't trust her and not just because she is that… that Paul's friend" she said with a confused frown.

I nodded my head in complete agreement mumbling a 'tell me about it' as I thought back to when I had seen and been introduced to her for the first time just this morning at First Beach out of everywhere.

Today had started off like any other Sunday with me running my weekend patrol that generally began at six in the morning and went on till ten with me running through the areas surrounding La Push and specifically our border separating the tribal lands from Forks twice to make sure that there were no unknown scents or new trails around and when I was reassured that there was no upcoming threat to the reservation I had howled our usual long howl which was an indicator to the other pack members that a patrolling shift had just been completed and there were no new vampire scents to worry of.

Now that everything around us was calmer and no nomadic vampires had trespassed into our land in close to two months, things were relatively easier and stress free. Gone were those hectic days when we had to patrol for a stretch of eight to nine hours at a go or patrol throughout the night and these days it was more like one of us patrolled in the morning for a few hours and the other patrolled in the evening with Sam, Levi and me rotating our shifts so as to be convenient to all and to say that I was glad for that would be an understatement.

I had quickly phased back to human untying my shorts and loose tank top from my leg and getting dressed again before taking notice of my surroundings. I could smell the salt in the air and could hear the waves crashing onto the shore. It smelled of serenity and comfort and with the intention of spending a few relaxing moments by the ocean I had walked out the woods making my way towards first beach that I could see clearer with every step that I took ahead.

Surprisingly today was one of those days when everyone in La Push had the same idea of fun and relaxation and so First Beach was packed with a few of the regulars of the res, some teenagers and families on a picnic from Forks and even some tourists who were visiting Forks or nearby and had thought of visiting our famous beaches that La Push was known for.

Jake, Quil, Embry, Jared and a few others I recognized from around were deep in the water splashing each other with the freezing water in a loud and even violent game of Marco Polo while Kim and a few other girls from school were sitting on the mats placed, too involved in a talking or rather gossiping session.

"Hey Bella" said Samantha as I walked towards them, joining them on the mats and quickly getting engrossed in the hot topic they were talking of, which at the moment was boys.

Now that we were attending Forks High for an unspecified period of time and were constantly in contact with the male population of Forks High, many of our year girls had found themselves admiring the 'fresh meat' around as they had put it.

"Mike Newton hands down" said Clara another classmate of mine, only to get several 'Eww' in return "What? He is cute, if only that Jessica Stanley would get her grubby hands of him, he could be mine" she continued with a wink.

"Yeah he is" said Ava playfully with a nod "Only if you interested in the underage babyish kind where whenever you go out, people assume you have robbed the cradle because of his immaturity and puppy like behavior" she said eliciting a laugh from the rest of us "No thank you but I prefer my men to be more like well, men. Now Emmett Cullen could be my type but then again like they say all the hot ones are either taken or gay"

This started an entire discussion on the Cullen men and their good looks while I kept my lips tightly shut knowing well that the reason for their allure was to catch the attention of the humans around and these clueless, free from the burden of knowing of the supernatural, girls had no idea of that.

"But have you ever seen their father Dr. Cullen?" said Samantha with a sigh "That man just reeks sex and oozes manliness. I saw him the other day, out with his wife, helping her buy groceries. He is just so gentle and dreamy. I want such a guy in life"

"But, honestly" said Clara "Have you seen our Quileute boys? They can give the Cullen men a run for their money. Look at Sam for that matter those abs and that chest can…"

"Eww" I said interrupting her before she went any further "He is my brother Clara, I don't want to hear all this about him and he is very well taken for that matter"

She shrugged "Just stating a fact honey but yeah, Sam, Jacob, Embry, even Quil if you see from one side or are suffering from a vision problem and even Jared" Kim raised her eyebrow at that looking as threatening as can be, daring her to finish the sentence "who is good looking but is already taken and is very loyal to our very own Kim" continued Clara getting a nod from Kim "can easily give a run to the Cullen men. Anyways who doesn't like the Tall, dark and handsome type"

"Wait" interrupted Samantha looking appalled "How can you not count Paul Lahote in that list? That is just unfair to womanhood everywhere"

That caught my attention and I straightened at my place, somehow managing to not growl at them for talking about my imprint like this, like he was 'fresh meat' for them to fawn all over.

"Yeah" said Ava with a dreamy look on her face "Now that guy can do things to my insides with just one look"

I growled at her, unable to control myself this time around ignoring the rational side of my brain. How dare she talk about Paul like that? He was my Paul. Mine!

"Whoa" said Ava taking a step back "Are you okay?"

Before I could threaten her with maiming if she ever spoke or even thought of him in that manner, I heard another voice and instantly my nostrils flared with a familiar scent, decreasing the pull that lay constantly within my chest.

"Hey" said Clara getting our attention "Who is that with Paul?"

All of us simultaneously turned to look in the direction in which she was pointing only to see Paul standing beside a tall blonde girl who was clicking photos of the ocean using her phone camera, with a big admiring smile on her face.

"And this is First Beach" said Paul smirking "the one I was telling you yesterday about and the one you wanted to see last night itself, not willing to wait until today"

The girl turned to look at Paul and mumbled a 'smile' before her phone camera was clicking multiple photos of him, not even offering him the time to react.

The green-eyed monster reared his ugly head within me and before I knew it or could think about it, I was on my way, up from where I had been sitting with the others to where he stood with that strange girl.

Who was she? I had never even seen her in La Push before. How did Paul know her? And why was she clicking 'his photos'?

And more importantly why was she here in the first place? She was definitely not Quileute and it did not look like she lived in Forks from her appearance and dressing sense.

She was tall say 5.8 or so and had long pale blond hair that cascaded down her back in curls almost like she had spent hours perfecting them. Her eyes were blue and she had the body of a person who worked out, with her curves being perfectly shown in a pair of branded short shorts and a tight fitting top.

And I so did not like her. I did not care who she was or even what her name was. I just knew that she should leave and go, never to return here again.

"Paul" I shouted with a friendly, as much as I could manage in this situation, wave standing in front of the both of them.

"Hey Bella" he said with a huge grin "How come you are here right now?"

I gave him a 'isn't that obvious' look "It is Sunday. Look around you. Half of La Push is here"

He gave me a nod of agreement at that.

"So who is this?" I asked him trying to keep my voice as friendly as possible which was a very difficult task in the given situation.

"Oh" said Paul with a short laugh "Sorry I forgot to do the introductions. Bella, this is Cherry, my good friend from Pittsburgh and cherry, you know Bella Uley, my best friend growing up"

"Cherry" I frowned ignoring the fact that I was probably being impolite "What kind of name is that?"

She laughed in a bell like voice which made me want to strangle her "It is short for Charlotte, Charlotte Williams. I prefer to be called Cherry, anyways I have heard so much about you. It is good to meet you, Bella" she gave me a genuine smile which made me feel bad for being so catty, for a second or two before I regained control over myself.

No she was not welcome here. She should just leave. She had no business being so close to my Paul.

"I wish I could say the same" I mumbled under my breath forcing a smile on my face as I said through gritted teeth "Yeah same here"

"Hey Paul" said Jared as he and Kim came to where we were standing. Kim gave me a look asking me 'who is she?' pointing with her eyes to Cherry as I shrugged. Even I had no idea who Cherry was and more importantly like I said, why she was here.

After the basic introductions were done, we all sat down on one of the empty mats and conversation began, majorly revolving around Cherry and Pittsburgh and how she had come down from there especially to see Paul who was one of her good friends and who she was missing immensely.

It was as if Cherry had an innate ability to know how to push my buttons because I was so close to just phasing and ripping her apart not even caring that the main purpose of why I was a shape shifter was to protect human life and not harm them.

A shudder of anger though had coursed through my body when I had heard that she was currently staying at his house instead of booking a hotel room or something in Forks or even better and further away, Port Angeles. Why couldn't she just stay in a hotel? Why did she need to live at his house? I had used my senses to scent the air and their clothes but there was no smell of Paul on her or her clothes which had led me to leave a breathe of relief. So, they were not involved in any way whatsoever at least that was what their scents said.

I know it probably made me look like a terrible person to doubt Paul like this but I could not help myself. The idea of him being with her or anyone for that matter was enough to make my entire body shake in anger and to let the she-wolf inside me get feral and attack whoever stood opposite her.

Soon Jake, Quil and Embry too had joined us returning from a quick swim and Quil being the jovial jokester that he was had kept the rest of us entertained before Cherry had suggested that we all move our party to Paul's house where she could make her special Pbj sandwiches for the rest of us as it was almost noon.

Though what was so special in making Peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches was beyond my understanding. It was hardly an achievement that could be spoken of.

"Bella" said Jake nudging me to get my attention bringing me back to the present where I was sitting in the car with Jared, Kim and Jake on my way to the Forks Diner "Kim has been calling you for a while now" he clarified.

I nodded my head in understanding looking at Kim who rolled her eyes.

"I was asking you how is Leah now. Did she talk to Sam?"

I sighed "No, they did not talk or solve anything out. Leah walked out before he could tell her anything and now she is upset at me also for trying to meddle. The only person she is talking to since yesterday is Allison, though she is still staying with us and Sue, Harry and Seth keep talking to her on the phone"

And to add onto that, Emily who had left for the Makah reservation a few days back as she had some work to attend to there, had literally warned me before leaving that she would be back to make Sam 'hers' as she had put it and so Sam at the moment was furious as well as terrified of what cunning plan Emily would hatch next.

"Oh" she whispered with a sad expression on her face

Soon we parked outside the Diner and made our way inside to the table where the others were already seated. After placing our orders deciding through the short menu which though was limited was very confusing to the boys who just could not decide what they wanted to eat, we sat back to talk.

"Yo, Cherry" said Quil getting her attention "What do you people in Pittsburgh do on the weekends? For us weekends basically mean spending the entire day on the beach"

Cherry got into a detailed description of how her weekends generally went like and how she often partied through the night which was enough to widen my eyes in shock while Jake, Quil, Jared and Embry looked at her in amazement as if they were in the company of a celebrity and Kim just scoffed in disgust, not at all impressed by her.

Paul's eyes met mine half way through her answer and he questioned me with his eyes if I was okay, a gesture that warmed my heart. I gave him a nod with a small smile as he too then went back to listening to her, adding in her story as and when he thought to, letting the conversation flow.

"Oh, Paul" said Cherry mid way to eating her burger "I forgot to tell you. A mail had come for you at home. I have got it with me. I will give it to you later"

I stopped in my tracks hearing her words and I could see everyone around me had also heard and taken notice of them, well all except Paul who just nodded his head in agreement munching on his French fries.

"Home as in?" asked Kim, surprisingly being the first one to break the silence "You both live together?"

The green eyed monster once again roared within me and at that minute I hated Cherry even more than it was humanly possible. I held my breath as I waited for Paul to answer, hoping that we had been mistaken.

Paul nodded his head looking confused by the serious look on our faces "Yeah we were roommates. We shared an apartment back in Pittsburgh" he continued when he saw the shocked expression on our faces "It is not that big a deal guys. I at times even forget that she is a girl. There is nothing feminine about her. She curses more than me for that matter and was messier than me when it came to keeping the apartment clean"

He wriggled his eyebrows at her as she flipped him the bird followed by an intense tissue papers squeezed as balls fight. They were just friends, anyone could see that from how they behaved around the other but still I did not like it, a bit.

She was a threat and I wanted her gone, away from me and away from Paul.

"So what else is there to see around here?" asked Cherry garnering responses such as Third beach, Forks Timber museum, Rialto Beach and the tide pools over there "Ooh can we go to see the tide pools" she said excitedly looking at Paul who just shrugged in agreement "Why don't you all also come along? It would be fun"

A murmur of 'Sure' resounded at our table with mine and Kim's being more hesitant and reluctant than otherwise and soon we were back on our way to La Push to see the famous tide pools though after reaching our destination instead of accompanying them all the way to see the sights, I decided to just sit and relax on one of the pieces of driftwood, a short distance from the water. The blowing cold wind felt amazing on my face and I just closed my eyes to breathe into it, letting the wind do its work of calming me down.

"Feels good right?"

I opened my eyes to see Paul sitting next to me, too enjoying the sudden chill of the wind ignoring the fact that he could probably fall ill because of this. He was not a shape shifter yet and I had to remember that and with that in mind I shifted a bit closer to him to keep him warm with the help of my heat, not giving any attention to the part in me that was rejoiced to be this close to him.

I nodded my head in answer "You didn't go to see the tide pools" I stated rather than questioned.

He shrugged "Seen them many times before and Cherry had enough company with her to keep her entertained and amused. I saw that you were sitting here alone so decided to spend some time with my new friend"

I blushed at his words mumbling a shy "Yeah?"

He nodded his head "So Bella Uley, tell me about yourself?"

I gave him a confused look. That was his first question and his way of starting our conversation?

He shrugged "What? You only said that we will start being friends from scratch, on a clean slate so I need to ask this question"

A laugh escaped my mouth at the innocent look on his face as I opened my mouth to answer his question.

A/N: I know Paul is pretty much oblivious in this chapter but from personal experience I know such men who just don't understand the feelings and vibes going on around them, no matter how strong and obvious they are. Be rest assured though as Paul and Bella will be talking about her fears and worries in the coming chapters.

Also I have a question for the readers, who do you think the unknown POV in the beginning belonged to? Please let me know what you think and thank you for reading.


	30. Tell me about yourself

Thank you brankel1, .7334, Arami Estigarribia, catgrl, anonymousvoice, sarae32, MammaNita4, Taylor9901, rachel625 and the guest reviewers for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 9- Tell me about yourself

"So Bella Uley, tell me about yourself?"

I gave him a confused look. That was his first question and his way of starting our conversation?

He shrugged "What? You only said that we will start being friends from scratch, on a clean slate so I need to ask this question"

A laugh escaped my mouth at the innocent look on his face as I opened my mouth to answer his question.

"Umm" I started awkwardly "My name is Isabella Marie Uley, well obviously as you already know, but I prefer to be called Bella. I am sixteen and am still in high school, and yeah…." I shrugged trailing off, as I attempted to answer this simple yet ridiculously difficult question to answer. In my opinion unless you were a narcissist who could rant for days about yourself or a scholar with ten degrees and a fifty hobbies to talk about, this simple question had no simple answer, as you never knew what exactly to say.

He nodded his head with a curious expression on his face "Why Bella and not Izzie or anything more childlike to pronounce as a nickname when you were a child, considering you have been called Bella for as long as I know you"

I gave him a surprised look "have we really never spoken about why or how I came to be known as 'Bella'?

I had known him for years. Had we actually never spoken about this? Had it never really come up in all these years?

He shrugged "I guess it never really came up. As I said you were known as Bella in and around La Push by the time I moved here. I was probably the only one who called you Isabella, around and that was more to annoy you than otherwise" he said with a short laugh "Why? Is there a story to it?"

"You bet" I said with a smile as I reminisced about what Allison had told me on this, years back on one such day when I had been dying of curiosity "So, when mom had got me home first when I was nearly six months old, apparently it was really difficult for the then three year old Sam to pronounce Isabella, considering it is a mouthful" I said with a shake of the head. It was no hidden detail that I was not much fond of my name "So to make things easier for the toddler Sam who had been referring to me as 'baby' since the past three weeks, mom asked him to call me 'Bell' instead, as in the ringing of bells. But Sam being Sam decided to make his own version of my name and started calling me 'belly'. And let's just say having your daughter being called 'belly' in public got old rather fast. And so she came up with Bella and asked Sam to call me that instead and I guess the name just stuck then and soon everyone started calling me that"

"Makes sense" he said with a nod "And it is no doubt a beautiful name, perfect for the person who owns it" he said with a playful wink as I blushed crimson at his compliment and the sincerity that I could hear in his voice "Umm, thank you"

"So wait" he said after a few minutes of silence, getting the attention of my currently mushy brain that was still gushing on the fact that he had called me beautiful. "What do you mean by when Allison got you home first, when you were six months old?"

I gave him a confused look before realization stuck me. Right! Paul did not know of me being adopted. I had found out around the time that he had left for Pittsburgh and obviously, it had not come up since.

"I am adopted. Mom, I mean Allison adopted me when I was six months old"

"Oh" he said, surprise coating his features "But I thought your dad…"

I interrupted him mid sentence knowing what he was going to say ahead "Yeah, Sam, Embry and I share a father or rather sperm donor. All three of us have different moms though. Joshua Uley was quite a Casanova in his days" I added with a bitter laugh.

He still looked confused by my answer so I took a deep breath in before deciding to solve his confusion. If he would have lived in La Push, never moving to Pittsburgh, he would have known about this years back anyways. How close we had been, it was highly unlikely that I would not have shared this with him.

"My biological mom, Renee was married to Forks police officer Charlie Swan when she cheated on him with Joshua Uley who too was married to Allison and had Sam at that time. The end result of their one night of fun was that Renee became pregnant and lied to Charlie that it was his. Charlie was elated and did not have any suspicions as such and even after seeing me once I was born and looked nothing like him, he loved his wife and did not want to hurt her by questioning and doubting her loyalty and so accepted me like I was his own. A few months later though, Charlie died on duty being at a wrong place at a wrong time and Renee soon realized that being a single parent was not something she was capable of being. Don't get me wrong, she did love me in her own way and thought that leaving me in capable hands was better than being in a situation where she could not provide for me or raise me like she wanted to. So she left me at Billy's and disappeared, leaving behind just a letter telling him that he should inform Joshua of me as she thought that maybe he would be better capable of raising me, but by that time he too had skipped town deciding that family and marriage was really not his cup of tea, leaving behind Sam and Allison. And so when Billy went to her to tell her of all of this, she decided to adopt me and raise me like her own, as according to her I was already an Uley and Sam's sister and too cute not to be loved" I said with a silly pout and a short laugh.

"Wow" he said the words slowly, still in shock, trying to get a grasp on all that I had just told him "I really don't know what to say right now"

I gave him an understanding nod. I knew that this was not something you heard very often and my story was not quite conventional. It was pretty twisted to be honest.

"It's okay. I would not have wanted it any other way. Allison is a great mom and Sam and Embry are the best brothers a girl could want. They gave me a great childhood, one that I loved almost every minute of, so no regrets there" I smiled looking at him

"It must be good to have siblings" he stated rather than asked.

"It is, most of the time" I said with a nod "well unless you are fighting for who gets the last piece of pizza or who gets the TV remote in their hand or who mom loves more" I laughed "Seriously I love my brothers but at times I wouldn't mind taking a gun and putting a bullet through them. They can be really infuriating"

I thought back to all the times when I had fought with either Sam or Embry, or the times when it would be two against one with me and Embry on one side and Sam on the opposite or the rarer times when it was both the boys versus me, an example of that being when a boy in middle school had asked me out on a date, only to be scared away by my brothers. Sigh!

Sam and my fights were more of the verbal ones with us shouting cuss words at one another across the room, with no attention to who heard us and got influenced by it, cough Embry cough, as Sam could never even playfully hit me. He was too big a softie for that, no matter how tough he looked in life.

Embry and my fights on the other hand, were more physical in nature. We would playfully hit one another on the arms till either of us was red or one of us shouted 'Mom, he or she is hitting me', which more often than not was my doing. I knew it was childish but sticking out your tongue when your mom is scolding your sibling is great fun and heavily pleasurable, no matter how juvenile it is.

Allison would often say that on some days she felt that she was more of a referee than a parent to us, but then again I guess that came with parenting, when you had more than one child.

I laughed as I remembered an incident when I was probably thirteen or so and was comparatively light weight for my age. The then ten year old Embry who was fond of watching WWE and idolized John Cena had thought that it would be a great idea to try some of John Cena's moves in real life and knowing nobody else who he could try it on, he had come to the conclusion that I was his guinea pig for the day. The result of his said 'experiment' had been good for him as he had successfully managed to replicate the move but the same result had been disastrous for me as he had mastered it all too well for someone who was trying it for the first time. When Allison and even Sam had found out about this, hearing my cry of pain, they had ripped him a new one, all the while I had laughed from my place on the ground ignoring the fact that every inch of my body hurt. But when Embry had started crying, pleading to me that hurting me was never his intention and I should not hate him for this, my heart had broken and I had instantly hugged him telling him that I was fine, or I would be in a few hours and I definitely could never hate him. Yes, my brother could be ass at times but he was also a sweetheart, many more times than the few times when he was an ass.

"Oh" I whispered as I remembered where I was at the moment. I turned to look at Paul, a guilty expression on my face. I had completely got lost in my own thoughts, not paying any attention to him "I am sorry. I should not have got lost in my own world like that" I said apologetically, also knowing that family was a sore subject for Paul. A part of me felt terrible for gloating about it when he hadn't even half of this, but I quickly pushed that guilt aside when he shrugged, looking as normal as before "It is okay. It is calm here. A good place to think"

"Why did you get emancipated?" I blurted out before I could stop myself

He shrugged again "Thought better than to live with someone who did not give a damn of whether I lived or died"

"I am sorry" I whispered

He nodded his head, a signal that it was okay and he was fine.

"So I assume you moved in with Cherry after that?" I scowled as I said her name, my body starting to shake in anger.

"Yeah, I have known her since a while and needed a place to crash, cheap. Cherry is eighteen already and after her mom remarried after her dad died, she left their old house to Cherry and when she found out that I was being emancipated, she offered to let me move in with her and share the rent and bills and all. It was a win-win for both and not an offer I felt like leaving"

"So how was it? I mean living with her as a roommate"

It was certified. I was a masochist.

"Like I said in the diner, I see her more like a buddy that a girl" he said, completely ignorant of the turmoil and rage going on within me "We would chug beer down, play video games, bet on stupid stuff, that kind of things"

"Oh" I said, failing to avoid the hostility in my tone, though I was a bit relieved by his answer. I was not sure what I was expecting but whatever it was, this was better than that. Still I wanted to be the one to do all of these things with him. I did not want him to do all of these things, or smile or laugh or even enjoy himself with Cherry or rather any other girl who was not me.

"She seems great" I added much to my reluctance, even emitting these words out of my mouth felt nauseating and left a bad taste in my mouth.

He nodded his head "Yeah she is"

I scowled at him for saying that. Couldn't he have said something more on the lines of 'No she is a terrible person who I will stay away from, from now on or something like that?'

Ah, Wishful thinking!

"And Jasper…."

I interrupted him before he could finish "He is great too. He is such a kind person, I cannot tell you" I said in a tone of sheer admiration.

If Cherry was great so was Jasper and I had a feeling that I would have said the same words for anyone at the moment. Even if the first name out of his mouth would have been Mike Newton for some reason, I am afraid that the same sentence would have left my mouth.

I know it was spiteful and childish but I could not help myself.

His reaction was more of a threatening growl as he scooted a bit closer to me in a way that clearly shouted possessiveness and protectiveness.

"Did you just growl?"

Wait, how close was his wolf if he could growl like one already?

He looked shocked for a minute before shaking his head as a smirk took over his face "You are hearing things Uley. Are you sure you don't need a doctor?"

It was now my turn to roll my eyes as I decided to ignore it for now but I would definitely be keeping an eye on his physical symptoms to see how close he was to shifting.

"So pizza or hamburger" he asked after a minute of silence

"What" I looked at him, raising my eyebrows at the sudden change in subject.

He gave me a 'duh' look "We are getting to know one another. Now answer. What would you prefer?"

I laughed as I thought about it for a few seconds "If I have to choose something unhealthy, I would rather go for Mac and cheese or hot dog"

He nodded his head "Pop tarts or…"

"Pop tarts" I cut him off "Don't even need to hear the other option"

I had loved Pop tarts ever since I was a child and I guess that one fact was here to remain.

"Curly fries or regular fries"

"Regular" I said with a grin

He opened his mouth to ask another question but I beat him to it "My turn"

He nodded his head telling me to continue. I thought about it for a minute before asking.

"Pancakes or waffles"

He gave me an accusing look as he gasped in exaggeration "Now that is just cruel. How could you ask me to choose one?"

I rolled my eyes at his antics and the disbelief and mock hurt that were visible on his face.

"Okay fair enough" I said with a quiet chuckle "So would you rather run outside in the open or use the treadmill in a gym?"

"Run outside" he said with a grin "It is freeing and I feel great after a good tiring run" "What about you?"

"Same" I said with a nervous laugh. If only he knew how much I enjoyed running in the woods.

"To read the book or see the movie?"

"Book" I replied instantly and without any hesitation "They are a hundred times better than the movie made and it is much more fun to read the book than to see the poor excuse of a movie that they have made from it" "You?"

"Movie" he replied, sheepishly "I don't have that much patience to read the book and go through all of those pages printed. Watching the movie is just easier"

I rolled my eyes. Some things never change and Paul Lahote was never one to do easy things the hard way.

"Pop music or classical music"

He gave me a disbelieving look "Do I look like the kind of person who listens to classical music?"

I rolled my eyes with a shake of the head as I heard him mumble something like 'that must be what that loser Jasper listens to' under his breath but I decided to ignore it, for now.

I still didn't know what problem Paul had with Jasper. Yeah, he was a vampire and our mortal enemy but Paul didn't know that yet.

"A hundred acquaintances or one trustworthy friend"

"You know me" I shrugged "One trustworthy friend is much better than several fake ones" "You?"

"Same" he answered

"A day at the beach with friends or a night under the stars with someone special?" I asked hesitantly

"Depends" he said after a few seconds

"Depends on what?" I asked curiously

"Depends on who is with you. Both can be equally fun if done with the right people and equally boring if done with the wrong people" "Liquor or soda"

I scrunched my face "I will have to say soda. I try to stay away from alcohol"

"Any bad experiences" he nudged playfully, coaxing me to continue

I laughed, my face turning red from the embarrassment I felt retelling this story and that to, to Paul out of everyone "Nearly a year back, we were all at Harry's place. He and Sue had organized a barbeque for a few of us. Mid party Kim and I sneaked in from the backyard, where everyone else was and entered the dining area where already Leah had informed us where Harry hid his stash. Showing our daredevilry for probably the first and last time in life, we had drank from that bottle of wine that we had found open. Leah had promised that she would be keeping an eye out to see that no one entered the kitchen while we were 'trying it out' but unfortunately Sue guessed that something was up and at the same time our trying turned to something completely different" I winced as I said the next part "Long story short, Sue found two heavily drunk fifteen year olds giggling like maniacs in her kitchen, sitting on her floor with two empty wine bottles by their side"

"Ouch" said Paul with a smirk "That couldn't have ended well. What was Allison's reaction and Sam's? Were they angry?"

"Well on the contrary" I said slowly, trying to build up the suspense "Mom's first reaction was to laugh before she told me that if I were to puke, I would be the one to clean it and then her next unforgettable and completely true words were 'Best of Luck for tomorrow morning'. I have an evil mother, I tell you"

His loud guffaws permeated the air as a smile overtook my face seeing him laugh so freely. He looked gorgeous when he smiled and my heart craved to see him smile like this more often.

"And Sam" I continued "It is not like he has much space to criticize, on this at least. He was no saint"

"Really" he asked, his eyes widening "Tell me quick. I need to hear the misdoings about the golden boy of La Push"

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm "When he was sixteen, he thought it would be a great idea to sneak in while the rest of us were asleep. But the 'genius' forgot that drunk and silent don't really go together. He had hardly taken three steps in when the rest of us woke up on hearing someone bang into the furniture. It was hilarious to see mom so angry the next morning while Sam sat with his throbbing head in his hands. She blasted him for being a bad role model for the younger siblings by drinking underage and sneaking in, or at least doing so while we were still too young the consequences of all of this. But Sam was not one to learn as easily and so by the time I entered high school, mom was pretty experienced with how to deal with all of this from repeatedly scolding and grounding him"

His reaction was another round of booming laughter as he sat clutching his stomach tightly "Oh man! I will never be able to look at Sam the same way again"

"Okay, enough laughing on me and my brother's expense" I said finally, after a few minutes of hearing his loud laughter, that did not look like it was going to stop anytime soon, a small smile threatened to break the façade of seriousness that I had on. "Be able to fly or turn invisible"

"Hmm, tough one" "On one hand if I can fly, I can see the world free of cost and just fly from one place to another instead of bothering with cars and gas, which is tempting but on the other hand, invisibility is much more fun. Do you realize how much could be achieved by just being invisible? I could eavesdrop on anyone I wanted, intruding on private conversations like a fly on the wall. I could be wherever I wanted and do whatever I want. Heck for that matter, I can be in the same room as the president without him realizing of it. How cool is that?" he grinned "So yeah, invisibility hands down"

I rolled my eyes at his childlike enthusiasm.

"La Push or say… New York City" he asked in his turn

I stared at him in confusion for a few minutes, not quite understanding his question before it hit me  
"You mean living in a big city or a small town?"

He nodded his head "Yeah, exactly"

I was quiet for a few minutes. I had never really thought of where I wanted to live. La Push was my home and I had lived here all my life and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't terrified of moving out into unfamiliar horizons. What if I am not meant for the big cities and their fast paced life? It was a scary thought, but also one that gave me butterflies in the stomach.

But then again, it was not like I could leave the res, at least not till I was phasing and that would probably be years from now. So why think about something whose chances of occurring are so less.

"I don't know" I said nervously "You could say I am scared but I have never been further from Seattle. I don't really know what is out there and what to expect"

"Oh Bella, you have no idea" he said with a shake of the head "It is a completely different world out there. Cherry has been to New York and she tells me all these tales of there. I at least will visit it once in life and not only New York, there is so much out there. It is crazy"

I nodded my head asking my next question "La Push or Pittsburgh. Where would you prefer to live?"

For this one answer I was petrified. What if he said that he hated living in La Push and couldn't wait to be out of here? Being a wolf, I couldn't leave and how would that work with the imprinting pull, in case he decided to leave? Would I even survive such a separation?

He sighed "Both are different and I really can't compare. I loved it there but I also really like it here. So I really can't choose one. One was my dream come true and the other is my home and how can you choose between those both"

I nodded my head. I wanted more answers. He had said that he liked it here but what if it was only the pull that was forcing him to continue staying here? What if he was really not happy living here? Could I see him leave me and go?

He opened his mouth to ask me his next question but before he could put sound to words, I heard a loud howl calling for my attention. I immediately froze. I recognized the howl well. It was a howl for emergency, the pack calling for their alpha.

"I have to go" I said standing up and brushing my shorts once to clear off any sand, though it was more for appearance sake than otherwise as I would be removing these to phase any minute now.

"But" he protested, standing up "Where are you going? What happened?"

I hated lying to him and I was already a terrible liar on top of that "I just remembered I have to go for a dental appointment with…."

"Kim" he prompted

I was about to nod my head, in affirmative when he added "She is at the tide pools" "And don't try Embry, even he is with her"

"Look I am going with my mom okay" I said frustrated "And I know she is at home"

He just nodded his head, his expression clearly stating that he knew that I was lying. I just wish I had the guts to tell him the truth but I wanted him to phase before he found out about the imprinting. There was still a small greed in me which wanted to see if he imprinted on me or not and if he did, it would just make things easier.

"Paul, I had a great time today" I said looking at him "Like seriously, this was the most fun I have had in a while. It was great talking to you. I will see you again soon?" I posed it as a question as he nodded his head mumbling a yeah.

"But hopefully the next time you won't feel the need to lie to me" he said in a whisper, too low for my human ears as I took two steps away from him. I quickly pushed my guilt away, at leaving him like this. My pack needed me and I had to see what the emergency was.

A/N: Firstly I am so sorry for this huge gap between two updates. I was stuck with the infamous writer's block and I just could not seem to put pen to paper or was just not happy with what was turning out. But hopefully this won't happen again. I already have two to three chapters after this, written down in rough so they should be posted soon. Like I have said earlier I do plan on completing this story. Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it.


	31. The new wolf

Thank you Elisabeth123, MammaNita4, catgrl, sarae32, rachel625, brankel1 and .7334 for your reviews.

A/N: This is more of a filler chapter but sets the base for the coming chapters. Also for everyone who is waiting for Paul and Bella to get together, it is coming in about two or three chapters from now. So I hope you continue reading and I hope you like this chapter.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 10- The New wolf

Quickly rushing into the woods, I undressed myself before closing my eyes and getting the rage that lay deep within me, out. It was not even an effort these days. I just had to think about Cherry and her closeness to Paul and boom! I was shaking from anger with my teeth chattering in revulsion.

Oh, how just thinking of her annoyed me, I would never know.

As my shakes increased I could feel my bones squirm in their place to change and adjust to my other form and very soon, with a loud rough jump I landed on my four legs instead of two. I quickly shook my head clearing my mind before taking a look at my soft white fur, realizing that it had become longer than I had expected it to in the past few days.

Sigh! Long hair was a pain when you were a wolf who had to keep their fur short for convenience purpose. Removing twigs and washing out sand and dirt from my hair was never a pleasurable activity for me, so I guess a haircut was due soon, well after I figured out what this emergency was for which Sam had howled.

"Calm down" came Sam's loud frustrated voice through the mind link and immediately with that before I could ask what had happened and what the emergency was, almost like a dam had broken, my mind was flooded with panic filled shouts, confusion loaded questions and intense pleas for help.

"What am I? Why do I have paws and a tail? Oh God! How did I become this? Am I hallucinating? Will I ever be able to become human again? How do I wake myself up from this nightmare?"

"Calm down" said Sam in a composed monotone and I saw from his memories how just a few minutes back, when he had been on patrol, he had heard a new voice in his head signaling that someone new had phased for the first time today.

Crap! Who was this? Who had phased?

Memories of a confused, disoriented brown wolf running through the woods, hitting trees on his way in his panic, filled my mind. I could feel the fear and anxiety come off him and I would have found his antics of banging into trees comedic if he wasn't so freaked out and terrorized at the moment.

"Who is this?" I asked

"Who are you?" the male voice responded back stubbornly and skeptically "And more importantly, who is that idiot who is telling me to calm down? I can hear voices in my head. How the fuck can you expect me to be calm?"

Sam growled at him in warning on hearing the mystery wolf call him an idiot as I rolled my eyes. As if that one word with five letters was so important at the moment?

"I am Bella Uley, the alpha of the Quileute pack which you now belong to" I said simply, like it was normal day-to-day talk, though in all actuality this was normal day-to-day talk for me. It had been so long since I first became a wolf that all this world of supernatural and the baggage that came with it, felt surprisingly normal to me.

"Bella" he asked in shock "Is this you? How did you become this"

I sighed as I heard the confusion going on in his head "You will get all your answers but please, may I know who this is, so I know who I am talking to" I said politely. It was imperative to keep calm around a new wolf. Quick actions or loud noises felt like a threat to them and obviously, they were quick to anger too.

"It is me Jared" he wailed in a helpless tone "But… but why does your voice seem so unfamiliar in my head that I couldn't recognize it?"

"Oh" I said in a whisper "that is because our voices sound slightly different in our heads than when we use our vocal cords to speak them out. Because they are in our head still, they have a different timbre to it than otherwise. But that is not important right now. How did this happen? I thought you had gone to see the tide pools?"

He nodded his head as he stopped running. From the mind link I quickly recognized in which part of the forest he was and started running in that direction, giving Sam the message to do the same.

"Yeah, I was. But Quil was annoying me. He was getting on my last nerve as kept teasing me and Kim about us getting caught dry humping by my dad, who then ended up giving me an awkward painful sex talk which I would have rather died than listened to…"

I burst out laughing interrupting him, being unable to control myself any longer. Kim had called me two days ago with tears of laughter running down her face as she had told me of how Jared had called her up in literal tears to tell her that he was scarred for life and how he could not look into his father's eyes now, as his father had told him more than what was necessary in a sex talk, going as far as telling Jared his own personal bedroom details, which no child ever wants to know about, Period.

"Yeah so like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted' he scowled "Quil was annoying me and the next thing I know, I was shaking like I was having a seizure and then after that the next thing I know, I have four legs and a tail"

"Shit" I muttered as a thought crossed my mind "Did anyone see you?"

We were doomed if someone had seen Jared phase. Secrecy was the most important thing in the supernatural world and one of the main laws for our survival. Just like vampires had to keep their identity a secret, so did we and not everyone was allowed onto this secret.

"Well actually…" he hesitated

"Well actually what?" I said impatiently

He said a few jumbled words in one breath as I stared at him perplexed.

"You mind repeating that for me, slowly" I said in a tone that was more forceful than requesting

He sighed "I was walking home through a shortcut in the woods, because I wanted to reach home faster as I was not feeling very good, when I became this. But…"

"But what" I asked, a big part of me reluctant and afraid to hear the rest

"Seth saw me" he whispered "is that bad? I don't know what the kid was doing passing through that route as his house is completely on the other side. Though I quickly ran away when I saw him standing there"

"This is so not good" I said after a deep breath. The council was going to have my head for this, if this news got leaked out, though in my defense there was not anything much I could have done in this situation. Being an alpha did not suddenly make me a time traveler who could go back in time and stop Jared from phasing in front of Seth. But then again the council filled with mostly old coots would probably still have found a reason to blame me, despite of that.

"Sam, go talk to Seth and tell him everything, making sure that he knows how important it is to keep this a secret"

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly, doubt clear in his voice

"Sam, we have no other choice" I sighed "Tell him the truth before he blurts it out to someone unsuspecting, thinking of it as a mystery directly out of a horror novel"

"Okay" he said with a resigned nod. He too was not very happy about this but knew that we had no other choice but to tell Seth everything.

"And Sam" I added as an afterthought "He is just a kid, hardly twelve years old. Don't be too hard on him and don't scare him. He must already be afraid on seeing all of this"

He sighed, giving me a disbelieving look "Bella, you really think I will be rude to Seth. He is Lee's brother and even if he wasn't I know he is just a kid. Heck, he is younger than Embry and Embry is a kid in my eyes. I am not going to scare him or force him into being quiet. Don't worry I will explain everything to him"

I nodded my head as he changed his direction and ran towards the Clearwater house. I sighed. It was ironic. I had wanted the older Clearwater sibling, that is Leah to know the truth about us but fate had made it so that now the younger one was in the knowing, leaving Leah still out of the loop. And to think about it, the poor innocent twelve year old Seth would now have to bear the burden of knowing of this supernatural world and he would now know that the monsters of the night do exist. His innocence was going to be lost forever, unlike what any twelve year old deserved.

"So will someone now tell me how did I become this?" asked Jared impatiently

"You remember the Quileute legends?" I asked "The story of Taha Aki and the third wife"

"Yeah" he said confused as in his mind he tried remembering bits and pieces of the story "But what does that…. Oh No!" he screamed, a loud howl leaving his mouth, as realization stuck him.

"They are true" I said confirming his doubt on his newfound realization "We are shape shifters, born to kill vampires, who are our mortal enemies. But we have a treaty with a golden eyed coven of vampires, the Cullen coven and so we can't kill them as they feed on animal blood instead of human. They live in Forks and are indirectly responsible for us phasing. When they are around, the wolf gene in us gets activated and we 'phase', which is the word for our change, so that we can protect our territory. I was the first to phase a few months back because of my friendship with Jasper Hale who is one of the Cullens" I could hear the revulsion in his thoughts at me being friends or sharing a good relation with one of our mortal enemies but I ignored it for the moment "Sam was the next to phase, soon after me and now you are the third in the pack. We will have to go to meet Levi before we inform the council that you have phased as they have to be informed of every phasing that takes place"

"Wait, that was Sam's voice, before in my head" "And who is Levi?"

I sighed before answering "Yes that was Sam. He is the beta of this pack and Levi, he is actually Levi Uley, one of the three original wolves who had signed the treaty with the Cullens"

I quickly showed him my memories of my first phase and how I had met Levi, Ellen and Old Ms. Ateara and how I had found out everything about being a shape shifter.

"Were you unwell the past few days?" I asked curiously "Because I don't remember you being ill or running a fever?"

I knew that as every person was different and had different pain bearing capacity, every phase would be different but still I had heard nothing of Jared being ill or even getting angered at the drop of a hat which was a very usual symptom before the first phase.

He shook his head looking confused "No nothing as such. I was more irritable that usual and I had body ache but nothing more severe than that"

"Oh, I guess you were lucky then" I whispered, so far my pre phase symptoms had been the most painful out of all but the elders had a theory for that, that maybe because women were not supposed to phase in the first place, my body was not prepared for it and so it had been rejecting the phase resulting in me going through all that pain.

"I have a few questions though" he said "What is imprinting? And will I also be able to change back into human again? How soon, if so"

I nodded my head "Yes, we change forms and you also will be, once you learn to control your emotions, mainly anger, you will be able to phase back and forth effortlessly" "And imprinting" I sighed, not knowing how to explain something so complex yet at the same time so simple "Imprinting is basically the wolf's way of finding their soul mate. It is said to be a gift from the spirits to the shape shifter but I really don't know how true that is" I said as I thought of Sam and his imprinting fiasco "One look into their eyes and you know who your soul mate is, as you imprint on them. They become your reason to live and it is like gravity but everything is pulling you to them instead"

Memories of my imprinting on Paul filled my mind. It had been so long since I had imprinted on him that night in the woods. Time really did fly, irrespective of what pace you wanted it to go.

"Wait" "You and Paul?" he asked confused and shocked before his expression changed "Though it does make sense. You both have shared something special since we were all kids. But why didn't you both tell anyone that you are together? Why keep it a secret?"

"Because we are not together, we are just friends. He doesn't know about shape shifters and imprinting yet"

"I don't understand" he said confused "But haven't you imprinted on him"

I sighed "Imprinting just points you in their direction as if telling you that this is who you are meant to be with. It is not instant love or even liking. There is just a pull towards that person that is difficult to ignore. You decide how to pursue it, if you want to pursue it in the first place. Like see in Sam and Emily's case. Sam has imprinted on Emily but he is trying his best to fight the imprint as he loves Leah instead. He is stuck in a constant war between man and wolf"

"Sam and Emily" he frowned as his eyes widened in surprise "But I thought him and Leah…"

"Yeah" I cut him off "Apparently the spirits don't care of whether you are in a relationship or are engaged to someone. You can imprint on anybody known or unknown, liked or disliked"

"Sounds like a curse instead of a blessing" he commented

I nodded my head in agreement. After seeing how hard it was for Sam and Leah, I was not sure how much of a blessing or how much of unneeded meddling it was.

"Wait" he said suddenly as I could feel trepidation fill him "Kim" he whispered "What if I don't imprint on her? I can't and won't live without her" "Wait… does she… does she already know?" he asked suspiciously "You both tell each other everything right?"

I sighed "Yes, we do but not this. This can only be shared with other pack members who are obviously in the knowing, the imprints and the elders of the council and I don't want to dishearten you but there may be a chance that you don't imprint on Kim. It happened with Sam" I finished in a whisper, as I shuddered thinking of the probability of this occurring. Kim and Jared were perfect for one another but so had Leah and Sam been. Sam's not imprinting on his childhood Love Leah had affected me so much already, could I bear seeing my best friend's heart break too? She was an almost sister to me. I did not wish to see her vulnerable and heartbroken and so I really hoped that when the time came, Jared did imprint on Kim. It would save them both the heartache that was destined to come if he didn't.

"No" he shouted, as if the idea of even being with anyone other than Kim was unimaginable "I don't want anyone other than Kim. I need Kim, only Kim"

I could see in his mind how he had started running in the opposite direction, towards Kim's house to see her.

"Jared Stop" I called out

I could hear the chanting of her name in his head as he gave himself over to his instincts and ran as fast as his legs would lead him, in the direction of her house. There was only one thing on his mind, the urgent urge to see Kim and know from his own eyes that she was alright. He wanted to be assured that she was his imprint and he was not going to be bounded to anyone else for life.

"Jared Stop" I commanded in my alpha voice, successfully stopping him in his tracks "You are a new wolf and have no control over your anger. Even I want you to see her and possibly imprint but you need to calm down and learn to phase back for that"

I did not voice it out loud but a part of me was even scared that his anger would overpower him if he didn't imprint on Kim and unknowingly and unwillingly it would put Kim at a risk if she was nearby.

"How did you do that?" he glared at me "Why do I feel compelled to listen to you?"

"Because I am your alpha and it is hard to ignore when I command something"

"So does that mean that when you tell us do something, we have no choice but to do it?"

I nodded my head reluctantly. I hated this shit. I really did not like having so much power over anyone and would rather not have such a power.

"How did you become the alpha?"

"I was the first to phase and so unknowingly became the alpha as the first to phase always becomes the alpha. I am also the first woman to phase. Before me they thought that women could not phase. But I proved them wrong" I said, pride seeping into my voice and thoughts.

"Good for you" he said indifferently, though not as much rudely as his thoughts went back to Kim and he once again started running in the direction of her house.

"Jared stop" I said sharply "You are not to see Kim or even be around her till you don't learn to calm yourself"

I knew it was wrong of me to order him like this but what other choice did I have. I could not put a human life in danger.

"What do you think her reaction will be when she sees a wild wolf in her yard, trying to get close to her? She will freak out and get scared out of her mind. Do you want to see her fearful of you?"

I knew it was mean to put it like that but it had worked for me. The fear of my family thinking of me as a monster and being scared of me had kept me away from them for the first few days. Jared was luckier in that way, at least he would have someone to guide him on how to phase back and he could return to his human life much sooner than me.

"I just want to see Kim" he snarled at me, showing his teeth in a clear move of a threat as I snarled back in warning. I was the alpha of this pack and I would not mind showing him his place.

"Back down Jared, I am still your alpha. Don't forget that"

"Yeah?" he snarled "In that case I don't want you as my alpha. I don't need someone who is best friends with a bloodsucker to tell me whether I can see my girlfriend or not"

"Well tough luck" I growled out in anger. He was pissing me off "Because the only way you can change that is if you challenge me for the position of the alpha"

Levi had once told me that the alpha could be challenged for their position if the pack was not happy with his rule. It was a simple animalistic fight and whoever pinned down the opponent first, forcing him to surrender, would become the new alpha. Of course it was not a fight to death but it was still a fight of pride and self respect. Which alpha would want to lose and take the position of the wolf who had challenged him, in the pack? It would be demeaning as hell and Levi had once told me that centuries back one alpha who had been challenged and had lost, had been forced to take the place of the wolf who was fifth in line from top when it came to power control, with the Alpha, Beta and third having the most power. That alpha had then finally quit the pack, going rogue instead of living with that demotion and embarrassment.

"I don't want to be the alpha" he said shaking his head "I just want to see my Kim"

"That is the only option you have if you don't wish to listen to my commands or you can try convincing Sam to fight a mutiny against me but I doubt that that would work out. So you either suck it up and be a grown up about it or challenge me and become the alpha yourself" I growled out. Yes, I was angry but in my eyes I had a valid reason for being so. I was not a tyrant from any angle and none of my commands or decisions had even pointed towards this.

"In that case, bring it on" he responded with his own growl "Because I don't need someone to tell me what I can and cannot do"

I sighed. A part of me had still hoped that he would back down. Though I hated him challenging my authority, I still did not wish for it to lead to a fight where either of us could be hurt. Wasn't that the job of a leader, to make sure that their team was unharmed?

He smirked listening into my thoughts "Are you afraid that you will lose and I will kick you into submission?"

"No" I said with a loud laugh, as if even the idea of that occurring was preposterous "I am more afraid that you will end up with several broken bones and a bruised ego on top of that"

"Ha ha" he said sarcastically "We will see"

I rose my eyes at the confidence in his voice "If you are so sure then bring it on. But be prepared to lose because I am much more experienced than you" I warned him, in a last attempt to calm him down.

He laughed again telling me to bring it on and I was sure of one thing, if nothing else I would fight to crush his overconfidence.

X-X-X-X-X

"The rules are simple" I said through the mind link as Jared and I faced each other in an open clearing a bit far from La Push, the perfect open place to fight without worrying of anyone seeing us or of us damaging any personal property or the nature around "This is not a fight to death. We are not here to kill one another. The minute one of us surrenders the other will back down, no matter how strong and in control your instincts to finish the opponent are at the moment and we will not fight dirty. No using your mind to manipulate the other. Is that understood?"

He rolled his eyes "If you are done with your speech, can I get this done with so that I can go and see Kim"

I shook my head in surprise "It is good to be confident Jared but overconfidence is more harmful than beneficial and I would still say that keeping you away from her or from any other human at the moment is for your own good. If you hurt the one you love, you will have to live with that guilt for life. Learn how to phase back to human and control your anger and you can see her"

He scowled "The point here is that I don't want someone else ruling over me and telling me when I can do what. I would rather be my own judge than let someone else decide"

He is was being unreasonable and stubborn but I decided to talk to him in the language that he would understand "Fine then let's get this done with"

He nodded his head as he crouched to pounce on me and I too got down on my own crouch to attack and fight for my position in the pack as the alpha.


	32. The fight

Thank you MammaNita4, sarae32, .7334, catgrl, lazygirl89 and rachel625 for your reviews.

A/N: A very kind reader, lazygirl89 pointed out that Sam and Leah were actually related with Leah's mother Sue Clearwater's maiden surname being Uley and so them being together and mainly having children would be a recipe for disaster if you take in account the medical disadvantages of being physical with someone so close to you in blood. To answer what you have mentioned, yes I was aware of this and honestly was equally creeped out when I first read about this. I did my own small research to be able to talk more about this and found out that though Sam and Leah are related, they were third cousins with Sue and Joshua being second cousins. Now I know that while many would be comfortable with such type of a relationship, there would be some who would not be so agreeable and so, for the purpose of my story, have changed the back story a bit. Sue is still an Uley but she was adopted into the family and given the surname 'Uley' when her mother Charlotte Harris married Jonathan Uley who already had a son Lucas from a previous marriage. I hope that makes sense and hopefully this would solve the problem of Sam and Leah being together. Thank you for reading and I hope you like this chapter.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 11- The fight

He nodded his head as he crouched to pounce on me and I too got down on my own crouch to attack and fight for my position in the pack as the alpha.

"Stop" commanded a firm voice in my head, roughly stopping me in my tracks "What is wrong with you both?" "Bella, you are not fighting and Jared, if you so desperately want a fight, why don't you fight me instead? I will give you such a fight, you will remember it till the day you die" said Sam menacingly, showing his teeth in a clear gesture of dominance.

I could see in his thoughts how livid he was at the moment as he ran at his fastest speed in the direction in which the both of us were. He was frustrated at what he termed our 'childishness' and Jared's misplaced aggression.

"Come on Sam" said Jared tauntingly "This is between me and our alpha, or is she too much of a pussy to fight for herself that she needs a man to support her?"

Simultaneous loud growls from both Sam and me filled the air "Don't fucking go there, Jared" I warned him. I was being nice till now, but one more word from him and I would lose it "I am trying to be very patient here, don't you dare test my patience"

He ignored my threat as he continued speaking "I am sure our great alpha can fight to prove why she deserves to be the alpha in the first place. So, why don't you just shut up and stay out of this?"

Sam growled at him, his hackles rising in anger "I will show you who the coward here is. Once I am done with you, you won't be able to look at yourself in the mirror, from all the shame you will be experiencing at losing that badly. You just wait for it, and you know what the funny part is, you asked for this" he said throwing a glare that could make a person shake in fright and terror of what was coming their way.

"I am not afraid of you" said Jared unafraid, as he took one step ahead, preparing to take on Sam.

"Stop" I commanded loudly before this got out of hand "He is correct Sam. He has a right to challenge his alpha if he is not happy with my decisions. The rules say so, and I would rather fight and lose than sit back and be termed a coward. So stay out of this and let me fight my own battles" "I know you are my brother and don't want to see me hurt" I said, my voice a bit softer than before "But in this pack I am the alpha and I have to prove why I deserve to be here"

"Not if I have anything to say about it" he said, scowling at Jared as he plotted ways to attack him, as he got closer.

"Stop right there" I commanded, noticing through the mind link that his legs had roughly come to a standstill a few miles from here, as the alpha command came into effect "You will not interfere in this fight, as it is not your battle to face. After I finish talking to you, you will phase back and go home and not phase again till I don't howl for you…"

"But" he interrupted "What if he plays dirty and you need me?" he said accusingly, looking at Jared who was just smirking, standing in his place.

"He will not" I said confidently and reassuringly "And like I said before if I need you, I will howl"

He still did not look convinced but nodded his head once, giving one last glare to Jared.

"And I had sent you to talk to Seth and explain everything to him. What happened over there?"

He sighed "The kid is a freak. He was excited. He thought that he was now a part of a supernatural movie came to life or something. He wanted to go and blurt it out to everyone he saw, telling them how his life was so 'cool', but somehow I managed to stop him and convince him otherwise. Luckily he had not told anyone till then and hopefully he will be able to keep mum about this"

I sighed in relief "So crisis averted?"

"For now at least" he said with a grin

I nodded my head. One crisis was averted but I still had another to go before this day ended. It had started badly, only for it to get better as the hours passed and now finally, we were back to the start, in one big complete circle.

"Now that that is sorted let's get this done with" I said looking at Jared "Unless you decided to chicken out"

"Ha ha" he said with no humor in his tone "In your dreams"

"You are really not worth of coming in my dreams" I said sarcastically "But I guess whatever makes you sleep at night"

He raised his eyebrows at my sarcasm "I hope you are as sarcastic after you lose. I really like your sarcastic self"

I snorted a laugh "We will see who wins and who loses" I said pointing at me when I said 'wins' and pointing at him when I said 'loses'. I knew it was childish but it got a reaction out of him, so I guess it was worth it.

He growled taking in a crouch and showing me his teeth in a gesture of a threat.

"Sam, phase out" I commanded, leaving no space for any arguments and saw through the mind link, how he reluctantly obeyed and phased out, leaving just me and Jared now in our wolf forms.

I quickly mirrored his crouch, getting ready to fight and get this done with. My strategy was simple. Instead of going all out and attacking, I was going to defend myself for the first few minutes of the fight. The reasons for doing so were several. First and most importantly, I did not want to give Jared the chance to complain later on, saying that the only reason why I won was because I was the alpha and so was naturally stronger than him. This was my way of giving him a fair chance at this fight, no matter how angry and annoyed I was at him at the moment. The second reason for me doing so was that I was waiting for him to tire out, I was waiting for him to use up all of his energy in his attempts to attack me so that when I attacked he could do no more than weakly defend himself. I was waiting for him to get annoyed and irritated by my defensive attack, which would lead him to make an irrational mistake in his irritation, and which I would be taking full advantage of. My third and final reason for doing so was that Jared was still a new wolf, who was running high on instincts and craved the adrenaline that came with a good fight and so, I was trying to exhaust him out. All three of us had different ways to release this pent-up aggression that came with being a wolf shape shifter. While Sam preferred to punch trees when angry, I found that a good run helped me clear my mind and calm down, and so probably a good fight was what worked for Jared.

Jared growled as his face took the form of a sneer before he took a step ahead in my direction. I mirrored his actions and walked ahead till we were standing directly in front of one another. The game of circling the other then begun, with the both of us locking eyes and waiting for that one second when one of us lost concentration and looked away, only to give the other a chance to pounce and finish the game, winning the fight.

I knew that I could have played dirty by using the mind like to manipulate him into losing but I stopped myself. I would not stoop so low and I had the expectation that same could be said for Jared. Yes, he was running high on instincts right now and was annoyed and desperate to see Kim, but he wouldn't do something like that, would he?

At least I hoped he wouldn't.

Suddenly a twitch of his leg grabbed my attention, a movement so minute and quick that if I would have blinked, I would have missed it before his entire body took one big leap and pounced on me, his teeth snarling in aggression and trying to take a bite out of my fur. Having expected the attack though, I quickly sidestepped, making him pounce on dry air instead.

He growled loudly clearly unhappy at the result before he once again tried to attack, once again to pounce on dry air.

He was quick and aggressive I would give him that but the one thing he was lacking in was experience. He had no prior training on how to fight with another being that was running solely on instincts, and needless to say he was too hasty to calm down and strategize before he pounced, a rookie mistake I would say.

I, on the other hand apart from being the alpha and hence being the strongest, had also fought nomadic vampires before and so knew a few basic fighting techniques and the simple art of mixing these techniques with the basic survival instincts that each person has, in a way that I would be able to stand my ground in a fight. Even Jasper had helped in teaching me how to fight. We both could never literally fight as we were afraid that if either of us got seriously injured, it could be considered a breach in the treaty but that didn't stop us from discussing about it and performing the moves in air, pretending that we were fighting the other instead.

Yes, I had never fought a wolf before but the mechanism was pretty much the same while fighting a vampire or a fellow wolf. You had to pin them down and bite them into submission. The only difference between the both, being that in the case of vampires you later had to tear them apart and burn their parts while obviously you didn't do the same with the wolf. Because of this being more of a friendly fight in comparison, the same rules didn't apply and we were not fighting to death, nor were we going to bite so deep that it results in any serious damage or like I mentioned last resort death. This was a simple fight of who surrenders first.

The third time Jared pounced, I was not as lucky as the previous two attempts and was a few seconds late in defending myself, resulting in him hitting me on the side harshly, making me lose my balance and fall on the ground roughly.

A battle of claws and teeth was what followed as he tried to stop me from getting up, while I tried to get out of his grasp, using my teeth to tear into him.

I yelped in pain as he bit over my paw trying to get me to surrender, something I refused to do so easily before he once again attempted to bite me, over the tail but before he could be successful in doing so, using all the strength I had within me, I pushed him over, roughly pushing him away from me and standing up with my tail wagging high.

He looked shocked for a minute at being pushed away with such force, before he once again started the game of circling and attacking between us. He would attack and I would sidestep at the last moment, defending myself.

I could clearly see it on his face that he was getting annoyed, irritated and tired of this game that I was playing. Attacking again and again without any results was exhausting him and more importantly frustrating him.

Good! That was exactly what I wanted. I wanted him to be annoyed, to be frustrated and to be angry enough to make one stupid mistake that would cost him the fight. I knew that I could have played it easy ending the fight in the first ten seconds itself but what was the fun in that? Seeing Jared huff and puff was much more fun. It was a blow at his ego and it was giving me intense satisfaction at the moment.

In my opinion physical fights were much more than just a test of physical strength. It was also a test of patience, resistance and will power to stand up after you fall. Sure, you could show your aggression in a fight but if you wanted to last long in the fight, you needed to think strategically and at the moment it looked like if Jared were to fall, he would not have the energy or the will power to stand up and get fighting again. He was tired, having used up all of his energy in his attempts to attack while I was still as energetic as when I had started.

Suddenly as if knowing that he was exceptionally close to losing, Jared's mind started playing a scene on repeat, forcing me, begging me to take a glance at it.

'"_Paul, have you seen my shirt. I can't seem to find it" came a loud shout from the master bedroom upstairs as Kim and I stood at the door of Paul's house talking to him. He had just returned to La Push last night and though Kim had insisted that it was way too early for turning up at someone's house unexpected, I had ignored her, not expecting that I would be witnessing something like this. _

"_Jane" Kim had murmured under her breath, a sound so soft that I wasn't even sure if she knew that it had come out of her mouth. I could feel her stiffening and immediately I had squeezed her hand tighter. We were not here to judge or create a scene. Paul was a grown up and what he did in his personal life was none of our concern. _

"_So what time did you reach here last night?" I had asked Paul ignoring the female voice that we had just heard. _

"_Umm not very late, around eight or so" Paul had said, too deciding to ignore that voice _

_I had nodded my head and we both had started to talk about Paul's road journey and where all he had stopped en route while I could feel Kim's stares at Paul every few minutes. _

_I could read my girlfriend like an open book after being with her for so long and so it was no guesswork for me to know of what she was thinking. She was judging Paul and judging Jane for being so fast and again, it was no guesswork of what had just been happening in Paul's house and why Jane had spoken those words. It was as clear as crystal, but like I said who was I to comment on someone's personal life. It was their choice of who they slept with and who they woke up next to and I was nobody to judge, and I was sure to tell Kim the same when she argued with me on this later on…..' _

I growled at him, gritting my teeth in warning as the memory ended. I was boiling in anger and all I could think of doing was ripping him apart. How dare he? He knew that I had imprinted on Paul and still he had played dirty and used this to his advantage. Maybe I had been quick to judge when I had said that Jared would not play unfairly.

Seeing how I had been distracted in watching his memories and burning in anger on seeing them, Jared pounced on me, using all of his force to stomp my leg and managing to break two of my smaller bones.

I howled in pain as I felt the crack in my leg. I was livid and furious. I had not expected such a disgusting behavior from Jared out of everyone. He being a new wolf was no excuse for him purposefully hurting my feelings. I had known of this happening through Kim, but hearing and seeing are two completely different things and Jared was nobody to reopen closed wounds. This was between me and Paul and he was no fucking body to show me this memory of my imprint and hurt me and for what, to win a stupid fight?

"I am sorry Bella" said Jared, sounding as genuine as was possible in this situation "You left me with no choice but this. I need to see Kim and you will heal very soon"

I could hear Sam's thoughts in my head, him having phased on hearing my howl, as he plotted and planned to permanently maim Jared for hurting me but I ignored him for the moment. I needed to pay attention.

With a loud terrifying growl that left no doubt that I was furious, I exhaled visibly, using all of my power in getting out of the death grip Jared had me in. He was not expecting me to use my force like this and jumped half a mile away, looking terribly shaken and scared for the first time in the fight.

Good. This was exactly what I wanted.

I snarled at him. He should not have brought Paul in this. He had tested my patience and I was in no mood of being fair and giving him a fair chance anymore. He was going to get what he deserved.

In one big leap I pounced on him, landing directly on top of him and pushing him roughly to the ground, on his belly. I stood directly over him as he writhed and squirmed in pain. As a human I weighed nothing in comparison to him but call it the magic of the spirits, because as the alpha, his strength was in no comparison to me.

He shifted in embarrassment and pain, trying to get out of the dead grip I now had him in but I snarled at him.

"This ends now" I growled out "I am your alpha and you will submit to me"

There were no words left for argument here. My words were firm and final.

"No" he croaked out, shaking his head

I tightened my hold on him, as another whine left his mouth.

"Surrender nicely or I will be forced to bite you into submission" I warned him. Biting someone into submission was demeaning in my opinion and so threatening him of that was my last option.

He shook his head as he used every effort in the book to push me away but I refused to budge and let him go.

I sighed, realizing that he was not going to give up "Know that I did not want it to happen this way" I said apologetically.

With this I opened my mouth wide and went to bite his exposed neck…..

"Stop" said a voice in my head, the urgency in the voice stopping me for a brief second.

I sighed, honestly I was tired of everyone coming and disturbing me like it was a one-time only offer while I was trying to fight here.

"Could I please just get this done with without someone else deciding to interrupt?" I pleaded, sarcastically.

"Bella" Levi sighed, shaking his head in disbelief "What are you kids doing fighting amongst yourselves when we have bigger problems at hand?"

"What problems?" I asked suspiciously, straightening a bit but not letting my grip over Jared get loose.

He sighed once again "Can't you smell it?"

I looked on curiously as I sniffed the air once, then twice but apart from a slightly smoky hue that had the undercurrents of rotten months before expired candy, I could not smell anything amiss.

"I don't smell anything out of place"

"Seriously" he questioned, surprised before he sighed again, this time more to himself "Of course, how could I forget, you are not an old grayed man having lived decades like me" he chuckled, his voice though betraying the fact that he was extremely worried.

"What is wrong?" I asked worriedly

He took a deep breath before answering "This smoky hue that you smell, it is a vampire's power, the power of masking their real scent and reducing it to just a mild scent that one would generally not pay any attention to. Nearly three decades back I was unfortunate or in a way if you see fortunate to come across one such vampire in Seattle. I captured him alive and managed to question him on why his scent was almost non-existent. That was when he told me that this was his power. He also told me that lighter the scent the more powerful the vampire and older too. As a favor for telling me all of this, I let that vampire who meant no harm, go. He had been just roaming Seattle when I had come across him"

"So you mean a vampire is approaching our lands and so this scent" I clarified

He nodded his head in answer, already making preparations in his mind of how we were going to deal with this.

"But still we are four of us. With you being as experienced and even me and Sam being able to fight, that is hardly an equal fight. Why are you still so worried?" I asked confused, surely one vampire powerful or not, could not be such a big problem.

He shook his head "That is not it. I have a strong feeling that said one vampire is masking someone else, possibly his coven. My wolf can feel the tension in the air and is rattling in the cage desperate to kill them"

"Which direction are they coming from?"

"I am trying to trace it. Follow me. We should all run towards the source of the smell"

I nodded my head as I looked down at Jared. I did not want to let this go, but it seemed like I had no other choice. Fighting the vampires who had entered our territory was much more important that fighting my own pack member.

"We will continue this later. Whenever you feel ready for it" I said as I got away from Jared who was still whining in pain and embarrassment.

He huffed but did not say anything otherwise and I took that as my cue to continue "Sam, Jared, a vampire or possibly more than one are on their way into our territory. We need to find them before they hunt on our lands and our people"

They nodded their heads, having heard a bit of my conversation with Levi. As we were in separate packs, they could not hear his side of the conversation but they had heard enough from my side to know of what we were facing.

"Are you sure that they are not just your bloodsucker friend's friends? You better confirm with them before we kill them and waste all that time and effort" he said tauntingly "And anyways it would be very rude of you as a 'friend' to do so, I must say"

"Jared not now" I glared at him "We have a bigger problem on hand than your desire to see your girlfriend" he growled at me but I ignored him "And Friend or not, they should know better than to enter our lands. The Cullens generally inform us if they are having visitors but despite of that, the rules are clear, if they or any other vampire enters our land, we rip their head off their body"

"Which direction are they coming in from?" asked Sam, steering the conversation in a more important direction.

"Levi is trying to trace it. He has said to follow him" I said as I took off in a run following Levi who was running in the southern direction.

"Jared" I spoke through the mind link "If you wish you can go home. In my pack I don't force people to fight if they don't want to. I would never ask anyone to put their life in danger if they are unwilling to. I am the alpha and I am going to fight as it is my responsibility to safeguard our lands and our people. Sam had been offered the same choice before his first fight but he refused to let me face danger while he rested at home. If you decide to fight there is a chance that you will get hurt. We, as a pack will make sure that there are no casualties but still, accidents happen. You are new to this and if you decide not to fight, no one will hold this against you or at least if they do, I will make sure that they know that I was the one to offer you this choice. So, what will it be?"

He scoffed "You must be crazy if you think that I will let the opportunity of ripping apart a few bloodsuckers go in waste" "And anyways, why would you do that for me? Why would you put your neck on line for me? I have been nothing but rude to you"

I sighed "Jared, I have been through this phase. I know how desperate one feels to see their loved ones and so, I am not judging you for it. You are afraid that you will not imprint on Kim and thus are behaving like this. It is fear that is making you do so and as your pack alpha I cannot let you get into something without knowing of its consequences. These vampires are not going to be understanding and are definitely not going to show mercy. You fight without being completely in the fight there is a thick chance you die. So either you fight with your head in the fight or you go home. I will teach you how to phase back and you can see Kim if you promise to be careful around her"

He huffed, a little guiltily than before "I am fighting and I am going to kick their asses"

I nodded my head deciding not to say anything more as the three of us ran in silence, following Levi in the deep dense woods.

Finally after running for what felt like miles together, Levi suddenly stopped and sniffed the air "This way. They are close"

Once again we started running in the direction from where the mild scent arose and after a few minutes of blind chasing stopped, when we were directly standing in front of three vampires, a dirty blonde haired male, a red haired female and another male with dreadlocks.

Levi and I stood in front, with Sam and Jared a step behind us ready to fight and kill these vampires.

A/N: The confrontation with Jared is not yet over. I really wanted to cover that part in this chapter but it was getting really long so had to cut it into two.


	33. One bite is all it takes

Thank you MammaNita4, Kedrane, catgrl, brankel1 and .7334 for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 12- One bite is all it takes

Once again we started running in the direction from where the mild scent arose and after a few minutes of blind chasing stopped, when we were directly standing in front of three vampires, a dirty blonde haired male, a red haired female and another male with dreadlocks.

Levi and I stood in front, with Sam and Jared a step behind us ready to fight and kill these vampires.

"You see that, James" the vampire with dreadlocks sneered, looking at the dirty blonde haired male who had his arm wrapped around the female "Mutts, but why do they smell so filthy" he made a repulsive face as he looked back at us.

"And more importantly" said the red- haired female with dark red eyes that hinted that she had just fed, and an evil smirk plastered on her face "Shouldn't these mongrels be afraid of us and running for their kennels right now?"

The one named James laughed loudly, showing his sparkly white teeth in a manner that clearly screamed 'predator' "Stupid dogs. Can't even smell their own death"

Jared growled loudly, taking a step ahead but I stopped him before he could attack "Patience Jared. I want to kill them too, but you need to wait till you get the command to attack. We need to work together if we want to end them. They are powerful and experienced and so it is important that we too think wisely and not jump the gun in our haste to kill them"

He scowled at me but stood at his place, waiting for Levi's command to attack. Even though I was the alpha, since Levi was the oldest and most experienced out of us all, he generally gave the commands of when to pounce on the vampires, in a fight. At first I had found it very difficult to accept this authority he had over me and my pack, my alpha ego would always come in the middle but soon I had realized that killing the vampires and surviving uninjured was much more important than satisfying my ego, and so if Levi knew the way to do so he was free to lead.

"Oh come on, James" said the red haired female looking bored "Not one of your stupid games again. I am bored of them. We have been playing the same games for what, two centuries now? Let the foolish mutts just go, I would rather not drink or even get close to their rancid blood. And anyways my instincts are telling me to get the hell out of here as soon as possible, and you know that my power has never steered us wrong. I just don't like it here. Let's get out of here"

"What power?" asked Sam through the mind link

"Stronger instincts than normal, probably" I guessed, assuming from the conversation that we had just heard.

He nodded his head, as we continued to listen to the vampires talk in rapt concentration.

"You and your ridiculous power" scoffed James with a glare to his companion "It is more trouble than beneficial at times. You always play spoilsport in my games"

The red haired female gave him an angry annoyed look "Yeah? And can you count the number of times when this same 'ridiculous power' of mine has saved your neck? You are your stupid games always end with us running for our lives. Have you forgotten that time in Texas when that Whitlock vampire kicked your ass when you tried to play one of your games on his wife? It was my power that got you out of there or you would be ash at the moment. Till date we cannot go back to Texas or nearby, because of his threat that he will kill you if you even come close to the state in which he lives. Now, who is the one with the ridiculous power?" she questioned him with her hands on her hips and a scowl etched on her face.

The one named James gave her an exasperated look, as to our shock the both of them started bickering to and fro, blaming the other for something or the other that had happened decades back and had absolutely no relevance to today's world.

"Bella" said Sam, through the mind Link "Can we just kill them and get this done with? I am really not in the mood to see a vampire squabble, and instead would rather go home and catch up on some sleep or better, make one more attempt to convince Leah into talking to me. Though she is back home she refuses to even look at me"

"Yeah, now that I think about it I also am hungry and would not mind getting some sleep, after we get done with this. My bones hurt and I have never felt hungrier before" said Jared

I nodded my head, completely agreeing with them both. Seeing vampires quarrel was pretty boring and here I had thought that only human couples fought. But then again maybe even supernatural couples fight.

"Wait" said Levi, getting my attention "Bella, the most important rule to keep in mind when attacking mates is, if you kill one you kill both. If you let one escape you are just inviting more trouble as the mate who is left alive generally comes back to take revenge, and these both are clearly mates from the way they are arguing with one another" he chuckled to himself, as he reminisced about how he and Ellen still bickered on things that had happened when they were both actually in their twenties, decades back.

I rolled my eyes at the fact that Levi, a shape shifter was comparing himself to a vampire when any other shape shifter in the same case would have growled at being compared to their mortal enemy. But then again like forefather like descendant I guess, I too was friendly towards Jasper who was said to be my mortal enemy.

"Can you both just shut up?" shouted the vampire with the dreadlocks, looking as annoyed as we felt at the moment "What is wrong with you both? Either you are fighting or you are fucking like rabbits. Why the fuck do I still roam around with you both asses?" he sighed in frustration, almost looking like he was going to bang his head in the nearest tree "Anyways James, now that Victoria has mentioned it, even I don't feel that good here. These dogs don't smell like the normal ones. They smell like… predators… Do you… do you think they are werewolves?" he questioned with his eyes wide in shock.

"Werewolves?" shouted Jared, in shock and confusion, a sentiment mirrored by both me and Sam.

"Don't be an idiot, Laurent" James chided "Werewolves are extinct. Caius has killed all of them centuries back and even if he hadn't, the moon is not even out yet. They wouldn't be able to take this form. These are just normal smelling dogs. You and Victoria are just being irrational over imaginative fools"

"Werewolves" I questioned, facing Levi "Did they really exist?"

Levi nodded his head "Never seen one, but heard of them. They needed the full moon to change and often turned feral when changed. They were uncontrollable and were even compared to savages who kill without thinking. I had heard that the vampire royalty that resides in Italy had once had an altercation with a werewolf, somewhere in Germany, wherein the werewolf had almost managed to dismember the vampire king, but another vampire passing by had saved him. From that day that King, Caius probably, had sworn revenge against their kind and had killed each werewolf that existed. They had even come after our tribe mistaking us to be werewolves, but we had assured them that we are shape shifters instead and are very much in control of when we phase"

I nodded my head, surprised, though there was no reason for me to be this surprised, If shape shifters and vampires can exist why not werewolves… or witches…. or mermaids or….

"I am assuming they don't know of our existence?" asked Sam, interrupting my musings

I quickly repeated the same question to Levi who answered "No, our kind has been kept a secret from the vampire race. When the kings had come to meet our ancestors, our ancestors had made a deal with them. In return of us giving them all the information on our kind that they asked for, they would keep our identity a secret from the other vampires. Of course the Cullens were an exception to this because of the treaty we later on formed with them. So in short, they can smell the predator in us but can't exactly figure out how dangerous we are or what exactly we are" "And that is also why we refer to ourselves as shape shifters and not werewolves, so as to avoid any confusion if the news of a pack of wolves living in the Olympic Peninsula gets out. We don't need the vampire royalty to come searching for us once again"

"Oh" I said in understanding "Makes sense"

"And anyways, like I was saying James" said the one named Laurent, getting my attention back on them "It is not like we have a reason to be here. We were just passing by, and doesn't another coven already reside on these lands? We should not mess with them. We are not looking for a fight"

James frowned "You both are such cowards. You need to be more fun in life"

"Thank you, but I like my head where it is" said Laurent as he glared at James

"I agree" said Victoria "We are not looking for a fight. We were just passing by on our way to Canada and so, we have no reason to be here"

James scowled at her as she glared back at him, daring him to say something to oppose her.

"Bella" said Levi through the mind link "There is no purpose in keeping them alive any longer. It doesn't seem like they are going to be giving us any beneficial information so as to keep them alive. Let's just get this done with. The one named Laurent is the one with the scent masking power. Let's kill him first so that this power of his disappears, and we can fight better"

"I think James is the coven leader" commented Sam "Even though Laurent is behaving like one at the moment"

I thought about it for a minute before nodding my head in agreement. From the way they were standing and their body language, it did seem so "I agree. We should not take him lightly"

"Even the red haired… Victoria, she also looks strong" added Sam

I nodded my head "Add into that her power and we have trouble on our hands"

"Bella you take the female. Sam and Jared take James and I will end Laurent" strategized Levi as the rest of us mumbled our 'yeses' in agreement.

"Levi, I don't think Laurent is very loyal to his coven" I stated curiously "What if he wishes to surrender?"

He shook his head instantly with a deep sigh "Coven loyalties are not broken in minutes or days or even a year, Bella. He can backstab us at any time in the future if we kill his coven but let him escape unscathed, and he has already fed in Forks, you can see it in his eyes, that is enough reason for us to kill him"

I nodded my head in acceptance, getting down on my crouch like the rest of them.

"On the count of three all of us pounce together" said Levi as he started the countdown and the rest of us waited in anticipation. Killing vampires was a completely different high, the craving of which was inborn in our blood "Three…. Two…. One…. attack"

It was as if an imaginary rocket was launched in the air, the sound of it deafening everyone around, as I could not hear a word of what was happening around me. At that moment I did not know or care of what Jared thought, or what Sam or Levi did. They were as good as not there in my head for me, as my sole attention was only on Victoria, who was completely taken aback by my pouncing on her when Levi had shouted 'attack'.

A fight of teeth and claws was what followed as I tried biting her limbs away from her body and she used her fingernails filled with Venom in her attempt to scratch me, and got her venom laced teeth close to my jugular in an attempt to bite me, a move I had to be very careful of. Our blood could not stand the effects of Venom and so, instead of changing when bitten like normal humans do, one bite meant death for us, or that was what we had always been told. No shape shifter before had ever been bitten and so no one really knew what exactly happened if we were bitten. Our tribal elders had just assumed that because we were their mortal enemies it would probably mean death for us.

The sounds of growling, snarling, grunting and screeching were all around me as with one loud growl I used all the strength that lay within my body and pulled her right hand apart from her body, throwing it away so that it could be burned later on. Burning every part of the vampire, no matter how small it was, was very important as without that there was always a risk that the vampire would reattach themselves, and honestly their fingers and toes moving by themselves, was pretty freaky.

She shrieked out in pain as she, in one swift unexpected move, kicked me away from her. I howled loudly as I got back on my feet, ignoring the slight injury that I could feel on my legs from the kick, but by then she had started running in the opposite direction. It was as if some innate power within her had got activated as she kept escaping my clutches, no matter how hard I tried, and her speed increased with every step that she took ahead.

I chased her through the woods, keeping an eye on the others through the pack mind. Sam and Jared had managed to dismember James with their double attack and Sam was currently burning his pieces while Jared was guarding to see if any other threat came by. Levi and Laurent were still involved in their intense fight with Laurent giving Levi a good competition with his decent fighting skills.

"You dirty mongrel will never catch me" growled Victoria turning back to look at me mid run "And I will take revenge for my mate's death. How dare you filthy dogs kill him?"

It was in moments like this when I wished that we could talk human language in our wolf form because I surely had an answer ready for her. It was 'you will very soon be meeting your mate so don't even bother yourself with the futile thoughts of revenge'.

She kept making a path for herself in the woods, passing the thick canopy of trees and jumping from tree to tree like a damn monkey, while I was forced to follow her on the ground.

"Bella" Levi caught my attention, and I noticed that even his fight was over with Laurent's parts being burned "Catch her before she reaches the ocean. That is the direction in which she is heading. We will lose her if she gets in the water"

"I will help you" said Jared as he too took into a run, leading in the direction I already was in.

"No" I stopped him with a growl that depicted the rage I was feeling at the moment "She is my target. I will kill her. No one interferes"

It was the alpha she-wolf in me, and she was livid.

I saw how he reluctantly backed down as I increased my speed and started to chase after her, ignoring every other noise that distracted me from my target. I had to kill Victoria before she escaped and came back for revenge, and with this determination in mind I took a big leap and caught Victoria's leg in my sharp teeth, making her fall.

"Ah…Ow" she hissed in pain as her nails scratched into my fur, leaving multiple scratches with blood oozing out of them. I quickly bit into her leg from knee down and threw the disgusting thing out of my mouth to where I knew Sam would be waiting, with a lit fire to burn her pieces.

"How dare you?" she shrieked as she tried punching and kicking me but with one functional hand and one functional leg she could hardly do so, and a few kicks in the ribs was all she could manage.

It hurt definitely but not enough to stop me and my determination to kill her, at the moment.

'Head next' I told myself firmly, as I tried biting onto her neck in an attempt to separate it from her body, when her head turned at the last second and her sharp teeth came too close for comfort. I jerked back in fear. That was a close call.

I would have to be faster if I wanted to rip apart her neck from her body. I quickly removed her other hand that was still trying to leave scratches on my body and her other leg, as she lay defenseless in front of me. Her coven members were dead and even if her instincts told her to run, an only torso could hardly do so. She growled and screamed but I ignored her pain. I knew it was brutal and a part of me felt terrible for being so animalistic, but then again this was the way of life and I had to do what nature had thought necessary for me.

"Bella, end it" said Levi's deep understanding voice "She does not deserve to be tortured, even if she is our mortal enemy"

I nodded my head as I went to tear away her neck and head from the rest of the body and bit into her neck when suddenly….

"Ahhhhh" I screamed internally, which came out as a loud howl, as my eyes widened in shock. I could feel teeth, sharp venomous teeth, bite into my fur and push the venom that they held inside me.

In an instant I was burning from the inside out, with fire coursing through my veins.

"I am sorry sweetheart" said Victoria with an evil wink "But if I die so do you"

With eyes wide I noticed how she had bitten my body part closest to her, and how her teeth were now coated with my blood as she grinned at me.

I was losing consciousness. I could feel myself drift away.

"No" I heard Sam shout as the rest of them ran towards me. With half opened eyes I saw myself roughly fall to the ground, and stay there motionless, as Levi ripped Victoria's head away from her body and threw it into the open fire, ending her story forever. She was dead and I had completed my last duty as a shape shifter successfully. A coven of vampires were dead and a lot of innocent human lives were saved. My she-wolf could finally rest knowing that she had given her life doing what she was supposed to do, her duty…..

"No" shrieked Sam, having phased back to human "Don't you dare give up. I am going to take you back home and Dr. Cameron will get this venom out of you. You are going to be fine and running again very soon"

"Sam" I whispered, feeling the hot tears that were falling from his eyes, on my forehead "It is pointless. Too late" I murmured under my breath "Too late"

I was dying, I could feel it.

Sam picked me, cradling me like a baby, as he started to run in a particular direction, in the direction of home probably, but I was too far gone to take notice of the surroundings. He kept whispering to me that everything was going to be okay and that I just had to keep myself breathing but I knew that it was over and his efforts of trying to save me were futile. My body was shivering despite of the heat Sam's body generally radiated and I groaned out in discomfort and disgust. I hated the cold. I liked being warm. I craved warmth. I wanted to be cocooned once again by the warmth that my shape shifter body radiated. But there was also hope in my mind that this was all going to end very soon, though possibly not in the way that Sam wanted it to end in.

It is said that your life flashes in front of your eyes minutes before they close forever, never to open again and with half open eyes, almost on the verge of closing, every memory of mine small or big settled in front of my eyes, in a mirage of colorful images, like a film made especially for me, on me. I saw my mother as she cuddled and kissed me, promising me that till she was there no monsters under the bed or in the closet would be able to touch me. I saw myself forcing or rather blackmailing Sam to play dolls with me, the blackmail being a huge toothless grin from my side. I saw myself making sandpits with Kim and mud pies with Jake, and saw the overprotective sister in me appear whenever Embry would fall and get hurt or cry and ask why his mother, Tiffany was always busy at work. I saw myself age and learn about the basic and some not so basic rules and norms of society, Birth and death, the two permanents of life. I saw myself skate, cycle, dance and sing, tease Kim about Jared and get teased myself, only to blush and turn completely red. I saw my laughs and I saw my cries. I saw all my favorites from books, to food, to movies and to people….

And finally, I saw Paul, my best friend, my imprint, my… so, so much more. Every moment that I had spent with him, from our day at the zoo to when we had played Steal the bacon, the first time we had met. From the day we had gone fishing, only to escape and see the tide pools, to when he had told me about his mother and how much he loved and missed her.

From our childhood to our preteen years every time I had laughed or smiled when he was around, or cried when he had left for Pittsburgh flashed in front of my eyes, his leaving La Push and coming back, only for me to imprint on him. Our fights and our deep soulful conversations left me craving for more.

If only I would have got more time to tell him what he meant to me. If only I could tell him what I felt for him. He was so very important to me. I liked….. No I loved him. I had loved him since so long that I couldn't even remember when I had started loving him. He had always been there in my thoughts, in my mind and in my heart. How had I not realized this till now?

If only I had got one more chance, I would tell him everything. I would not even fear or worry about being rejected. Just telling him that I loved him was enough for me.

But isn't that the thing, we all crave for second chances, saying that 'if only' I got another chance I would make every wrong right, but not everyone is as lucky as to get that second chance in life.

My last thought before my eyes closed was of Paul smirking his cocky smirk as he ran a hand through his short black hair and looked into my eyes with so much love and adoration that it immediately brought a big peaceful smile on my face too…. And with that everything faded to black….


	34. Need

Thank you MammaNita4, .7334, Twibookworm, catgrl, Kedrane, brankel1 and Charlie0925 for your reviews.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 13- Need

Paul POV-

'_A silver furred wolf was running deep in the woods, passing the luscious green foliage taking quick steps in, but instead of a howl of happiness escaping his mouth, this time around it was a howl of pain and sadness. The passing trees and the cold wind lay a witness to his misery and loneliness. He was searching for someone, desperately, his mate probably, but the snow furred female was nowhere to be found, and neither were his pups. His adorable little pups with the boisterous laugh and a mischief always on their sleeves were missing, and no matter how much he looked for them he just could not find them. He howled once again in the hope that maybe his mate would call for him this time around, maybe she would give him some indication that she was alive and well and his worries were for nothing, but no such call came and with the passing of every minute which was going by as quickly as it could, his worries only increased and the sadness within him became more and more prominent, till it was as big as it could, hole deep within his chest. He needed his mate. Where was she? Was she injured? Why could he feel this pain, this feeling of being alone, as if something had happened to his mate? _

_The silver wolf known for his strength and rage howled again, a clear warning to anyone who had dared to harm his mate. She was __his__, and he knew with full surety that whoever dared to cause her even an inch of pain would have to face him, at his worst. He would take revenge for every cry that had left her mouth, but for that again, he had to find her first. Where was she? Where were his pups? He did not like being without them, being without his family. He needed them. He needed her….. He needed his mate… He needed his she- wolf…'_

I woke up with a gasp, a trail of sweat visible on my forehead as my breaths came out faster than they normally did. I took my head in my hands, breathing a sigh of relief when I realized that this was only a dream, vividly as such, but still a dream and I was physically okay, mentally maybe not as much.

What was this dream? It was the same dream that had often haunted me over the past months, though I had not seen this same dream in a while now, but this time it was different than usual. The silver wolf who often played the protagonist in such weird dreams of mine that made me question my imagination, was alone instead of being with his family of four, that was so fond of running in the deep green woods, laughing and enjoying themselves. This time around there was some sort of sadness and pain at being alone that had surrounded him, and the need to see his mate had been all- consuming. I had never known that someone could and would 'need' someone else in their life this desperately. It was a scary thought. But what did it mean? I had seen the white she-wolf that I fondly referred to as Snow around in the woods, who were this Silver wolf's mate, apparently, so did that mean that this Silver wolf also existed in the real world? And even if he did, why on earth would I dream of him and his loneliness, and his incessant need to see his mate? It was completely absurd and illogical.

I rubbed my chest trying to decipher the cause of this sudden pain that was trying to pulverize me. It was a huge gaping hole within my chest…. Almost like I was feeling what the wolf had felt in my dream. It was a feeling of something bad, something that should never have happened in the first place. It was a feeling of doom and dread.

I got up from my bed with a rough jerk, as I started pacing the hardwood floors of my bedroom. Something was terribly wrong, I could feel it. It was one of those instincts that came from within, telling you, informing you that something, somewhere, with someone you care about has gone wrong, that someone is not as fine or in as good health as you would wish for them to be.

But who was the question here?

'Bella' the answer came from somewhere within me, a nagging small thought that made its appearance known, but that small of a thought was enough to roughly snatch away the ground from under my feet, making me fall directly in a deep dark tunnel, from which there was no way out and no light to make me feel even an ounce of safety.

"Bella" I said aloud, as the pain in my chest increased in significant amounts, and my eyes widened in disbelief and shock.

Something was wrong with her. Something was terribly wrong with Bella, something that should have never happened.

I needed to see her. I needed to see with my own eyes that she was okay. I needed to be relieved of this tension that had fallen on my shoulders on not knowing where she was and more importantly how she was.

I knew it was silly. I had seen her just a few hours back, smiling and laughing, telling me all about her. We had had such an amazing day together. These ridiculous feeling of doom was well exactly that, ridiculous, but just for the sake of my sanity, I needed to see her once. I needed to be sure that everything was okay and I was just being an irrational fool who was trying to find the hidden meaning in a dream, that didn't even have one in the first place.

Yes, this was it. I had to see her. So what if it was the middle of the night and I had no reasonable explanation to give for my behavior, she would understand. A small rational part of my brain was begging me to reconsider and wait till the morning but I ignored that part.

I needed to see her. It was more than a need or choice; it was a compulsion that couldn't be ignored. Something was wrong and this dread that I was feeling kept increasing with every millisecond that passed, increasing to a desperate urge that was threatening to cripple me.

No, I had to see her, consequences be damned.

With this thought in mind, and the urgency that lay behind it, I quickly started a search for the crumpled shirt and the pair of dark jeans that I had worn yesterday, and had roughly thrown on the floor when the heat in my room had become too much to bear. Seriously, the air conditioner in my room was blasting such cold air that it would have made a normal human shiver, but still here I was who could not control the sweating this same air conditioned air caused in me. It was like living in a fucking sauna these days, as no matter how low the temperature in the room was set, it did nothing to make me feel the cool in the air.

I rolled my eyes at the weirdness of this as I quickly walked down the stairs, two at a time in my hurry to run out.

What was I going to say when I finally saw Bella?

I couldn't possibly blurt out that I just 'needed' to see her at this late in the night, because that is just plain weird and mildly obsessive and even stalkerish, maybe, and so I had no justified reason for popping up like this unexpected.

I rubbed my chest once again, making my way through the pitch dark living room that I was too much in a hurry for switching on the lights off. Just a few more steps and I would be out of here. Having lived in this same house, with the same layout for as many years as I did, I knew these four walls like the back of my hand, and so sneaking out in the dark was really not much of an issue.

"Ow!" snapped a voice, as I felt the sensation of hitting something, or rather someone in my haste to leave the house "Watch where you are going" she growled, adding a few curse words to her sentence.

I quickly took two steps back, followed by a slight step in the left where I knew the correct switch that would light up the room lay, and flicked on the lights, making me frown and squint at the discomfort the sudden intrusion of bright light caused.

"What are you doing up?" I asked hurriedly, at the same time as she questioned a little worriedly "Whoa! Where's the fire"

"You first" I shrugged, looking at the wall clock in the room impatiently. I needed to see Bella right now. The hole in my chest was still increasing with each passing second, and it didn't seem like it would be lessening any time soon.

She grinned looking at me "Couldn't sleep, had too much caffeine in my system. So thought of Netflixing instead, and then I craved some Ben and Jerry's so came down to grab some Chunky Monkey and retire back to bed. But what are you doing up? Wait, are you sneaking out" she gave me an amused look "but why? It was not like I was going to ground you or stop talking to you or something equally dramatic if you told me you had plans tonight, or rather early morning I guess from the time that it is. Though, I must say I am a bit disappointed that you did not invite me in them. I thought we were friends here" she huffed, crossing her arms.

I sighed, completely ignoring the look of mock disappointment on her face "Look, I am going to see Bella. Something is wrong, I can feel it. I need to see her, to see from my own eyes that she is alright…"

"Whoa. Calm down" Cherry said, her eyes wide "Did she call you, or message you asking for help?"

I shook my head instantly, the worry on my face not diminishing a bit.

She gave me a confused stare "Then how did you know that she is in trouble?"

I sighed again. I did not know how to explain this irrationality in a rational way, but still I tried "It is a feeling. I just know something is wrong. I can feel it in me"

Saying this, I quickly pushed past her and with huge steps walked towards the front door. We would just have to continue this conversation later on, as right now the pull in my chest was leading me elsewhere, and every minute that I resisted this pull was suffocating.

"Okay stop" she said exasperated, as she came and stood in between of me and the door "Gosh! I have never seen you behave like this, this impulsively and this… this impatiently. What the fuck is wrong with you? And what crap are you talking about, feelings and intuitions and all. I didn't even know you believed in crap like that" she said disbelievingly "Umm okay, how about this. You call her up and ask her if she is okay. If she answers your call you have your answer, and anyways it is almost four in the morning, a bit late or in a way too early to make social calls, don't you think?"

A big part of me protested wildly as an involuntary growl left my mouth. Hearing her voice was just not enough. I needed to see her with my own eyes to know that she was okay….. What the fuck is wrong with me? Why am I feeling this desperate and hopeless? When did I become such a pussy to believe in feelings and intuitions?

"Think about it Paul" she said softly "It can cause more problems for her. Imagine if her mother or brother open the door, the probability of which is higher. They will definitely wonder why you are there, and what if they assume that this is not your first time doing so. They may very well assume that Bella sneaks out or calls people over after they sleep. I know it is wild guess, but still you never know how they may react, and don't forget the awkwardness that you would have to face when Bella asks you why you are there in the middle of the night. Just call her up, make up some excuse and ask her if she is okay. As simple as that"

I frowned. I knew she was being the voice of reason here, but for me right now, she was just being an annoying pest who was trying to keep me away from what I needed in life, at this moment.

I sighed after a minute of silence. I did not want to do this, but what Cherry said did make sense. It would no doubt be awkward. She still lived with her family and though we were friends, we were not quite there yet, wherein going to one another's house in the middle of the night uninvited would be considered okay.

Very reluctantly I picked up my cell phone that I had conveniently forgotten picking up the night before, and so rested on my center table, before dialing the familiar number that I had memorized, in this time and age when no one bothered with memorizing phone numbers as that was what your phone memory was for.

Ring….Ring….Ring, her favorite song played continuously on line, as she just refused to pick it up.

"See, she is not picking up" I frowned, my resolution to see her becoming even more firm by the minute. I tried calling her once, and then twice again, before roughly throwing it on the couch "I told you something is wrong with her, but no, you just don't believe me" I scowled at her.

She smirked at me, looking way too amused for the dire situation we were in "Or maybe she is just a heavy sleeper, and is sleeping like normal people generally do. Come on give her a break. Just talk to her tomorrow, err today" she corrected, glancing at the clock "I am sure your worries are for nothing"

"No" I shook my head hurriedly "She is hurt. I can feel it"

The hole in my chest increased by leaps and bounds as the word 'hurt' left my mouth. I gasped aloud at the sudden pain it caused in my chest. Someone had hurt her, I could feel it. But who, I just needed the name and they were sure to have wished that they were never born….

"Hey" she interrupted my pleasurable internal musings "You are shaking. Are you okay? Maybe, you are coming down with something"

"I am fine" I said through gritted teeth "or rather I will be once I see her"

"But" she protested angrily and simultaneously worriedly "You need to…"

"Look" I interrupted her rudely "I don't have the time to play penny for your thoughts with you. I have to be somewhere else right now"

The words oddly felt right on my tongue as without waiting for her answer, I rushed out of the house, leaving a shocked Cherry behind me. I faintly heard her whisper 'I have never seen you care about anyone this much', but I couldn't have been sure. Anyways it did not matter. Right now nothing else mattered.

I ran the short distance from my house to Bella's, using one of the few shortcuts that I knew off to reach her house. This was one of the shortest, but also, the eeriest. There was nothing around for miles together, and the thick canopy of trees, the leaves of which swung around due to the wind, did nothing to alleviate the spookiness in this moonless night. I used the dim light of my phone to help me in navigating my way as I ignored the occasional howl of a seemingly hungry wolf, or the loud screeching of the bats around, that I heard on my way. I was man enough to admit though that it was spooky as hell. If this had not been for Bella, I would have never passed through this shortcut, no matter how much freaking time it saved.

I shook my head, increasing my pace as I ran the last half a mile that would lead me directly to her doorstep. I straightened my clothes that were now slightly disheveled due to all the running, before running a hand through my short hair as I walked close to her front door. All fears of what exactly I would say when she opened the door were forgotten for now. I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

'Bang….Bang…..Bang' I harshly and impatiently knocked on the front door of the Uley house, waiting for it to open from the inside. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime, and I once again pulled onto my hair in frustration. Finally after what felt like hours, I felt footsteps leading towards the door.

I stared at the front door in restlessness as I felt the lock on the door being turned from the inside, before a bewildered Sam Uley opened the door.

I rolled my eyes. It was just my luck that out of all the four people who could have possibly opened the door, it was freaking saint Sam Uley who had opened it. He was not even going to answer me properly. I was sure of that.

"Lahote" he whispered, as a scowl covered his face "What are you doing here? Though I must say I am not as surprised to see you" he muttered under his breath, a tinge of something close to relief visible on his face. Why would he be relieved to see me though, I had no idea of that. Anyways it was a strange thought that he would be relieved to see me.

"Where is she?" I growled out, now that I could sense that she was around, waiting even a minute more to see her, was out of question. I was going crazy here in my urgency to see her. I quickly sidestepped him, barging into the house. It was as if I had been possessed, like my body no longer belonged to me, but to someone else who was pulling the strings and forcing me to sit when he said to, and jump when he said to.

"Whoa…. Stop" Sam said, coming and standing in front of me, and slightly pushing me back, in his attempt to stop me from entering. I was strong, there was no two ways about that, but Sam was like the damn hulk or something, as no matter how much strength I used, he just could not be pushed out of the way. It was almost supernaturally abnormal to have that much strength.

"Who are you talking about?" he finally asked, looking as nonplussed as one could.

"You know very well who I am talking about" I said through gritted teeth. I could not believe the pretentiousness that I could see on his face. He very well knew who I was talking about, it was written with bold letters on his face, for the world to read.

He sighed, in an almost accepting defeat kind of way. A conflict of contradicting ideas was visible on his face for a few minutes before everything cleared out, and his stony face once again became the mask that it generally was.

"Fine" he sighed "Come in. Probably you being around will be good for her, and it may just be the motivation she needs to finally wake up"

"What do you mean?" I glared at him, my eyes wide in a clear threat, as my body shook in rage.

Instead of opening his annoying trap of a mouth and answering my question, he rolled his eyes, walking inside the house and climbing the two flights of stairs leading to Bella's room. I looked around me at the familiar surroundings that I had seen years back, when both Bella and I had just been kids, and would hang out at her house when it was too cold to go to the beach. Several photos lined the cream colored walls of the living room that led to the stairway, and I involuntarily smiled as I saw photos of the pigtailed preschooler Bella posing for the camera with a huge grin on her face, or the shy preteen Bella with braces on her teeth who refused to be captured by the camera and tried to hide her face behind her hand, in a not so brilliant attempt. There were photos of Sam, Embry and her as they posed standing in the backyard, definitely on Allison's insistence, and a few with Allison too in them, in a perfectly coordinated family photograph. Then there were photos of her and Kim, the three musketeers as Jacob, Embry and Quil liked to call themselves and a few photos of Leah and Sam in them. It felt like going back in time as I took a quick look at the arrangement they had been placed in, going from their childhood to their teenage and adult years.

Nothing had changed here. Even the rare showpieces and lamps that lighted the room were the same as they had been, four years back. But then again that wasn't very uncommon for La Push. Things almost always remained the same here as they had been, no matter how much time passed.

"Now remember" said Sam, turning and looking at me from one of the stair that he stood on "If you feel even the slightest bit that you are losing it, and can't control your anger anymore, leave the room and house then and there, and run out through the backyard"

I looked at him perplexed with my eyebrows raised. What kind of fucked up request/ suggestion/ order this was? It made absolutely no sense.

He sighed "Look, just trust me on this. You will understand soon enough"

I gave him a small nod suspiciously, as he shook his head with a deep sigh, and walked the last few steps to Bella's room, pushing it wide open for me to enter.

It was dark in here, was my first impression as I entered the room. A small table lap was lighted beside the Queen's bed that lay touching the wall, on which Bella was asleep, the covers covering her from shoulders down. Allison was sitting on a chair beside the bed, and the exhausted look on her sleeping face was enough to convey that they had had a long night.

I walked closer to Bella's sleeping form, the low light in the room illuminating her face, giving an almost ethereal glowing effect to it. She was still, too still, and any misconception that I had, for a brief second, that she was just asleep vanished immediately. Her face though calm, looked tired, and an angry red scar marred her face, leaving an ugly sharp line on the right side of her cheek.

Anger flared through me. I knew it, she was hurt. Not caring of who thought what, I quickly pulled her covers away, wanting to see how hurt she really was, and when the extent of her injury reached my eyes, I was forced to take a step back in shock, and ball my hands in fists, as anger flared through every pore of mine.

Her perfect flawless soft skin was now marred with several angry red scratches, her hands and shoulders taking the brunt of it. They were deep and dark red, almost as if they had recently come to mar her skin. But what caught my attention, and caused tremors to flow through my body was the crescent shaped moon that lay on the left side of her shoulder, close to her collar bone. It was a bite. Someone had bitten her.

"Paul calm down" said Sam, making me realize that I had been convulsing in anger. I growled at him. Who had dared to bite her? I was going to rip their head apart from their body, taking pleasure in their pain. I knew it was evil but I did not care. Someone had dared to hurt her, so painfully.

"Speak" I half shouted half growled at Sam, my loud voice waking Allison up whom fearfully looked at Sam for an answer, who gave her a calming nod in return before looking at me.

"Not here" he said firmly, pulling me through the collar, out of the house. My shakes seemed to be intensifying with every passing minute, and I was positively sure that I had never been this angry in life before.

"Explain" I said finally, when we were out of the house, in the open backyard, away from the prying eyes, and he let my collar go, pushing me back a step.

He sighed, regret in his eyes "I was hoping that it would happen, but I guess you are still not ready yet"

I gave him a confused stare as he continued.

"As you know she is not sleeping. She is hurt, and even we are confused as to why she is not regaining consciousness. She should have by now. They removed it out" he whispered, his voice filled with remorse and guilt.

"Who" I questioned, asking for the name of the person responsible for this, I just needed the name.

He shook his head, sighing once again, talking to himself more than replying to me "Why me? This should have been her job, telling you all of this"

He ignored my questioning look, as he took a deep sigh before he opened his mouth again to answer my question.

Sam POV-

'Why me' was the question rotating through my mind, as I stared at Paul waiting for his answer. Why did fate or destiny or the spirits, maybe, decide that I would be the one to tell him that our Quileute legends were in fact true, and a bunch of young boys and a girl were a part of a shape shifter wolf pack. I was not close the guy, in fact it could be said that I despised him, but still I was the one who would be telling him everything today. It was not even my decision to tell him or not, in the first place. Heck that was Bella's choice if she wanted to tell her imprint or not, or of when to tell him if yes, but considering the circumstances, I knew that Paul needed to know.

I sighed audibly. Why couldn't Levi have been here for this? He was much more experienced than me, and knew how to share such information with others, but off he was to the Cullens place in Forks, thanking Carlisle Cullen for coming here and sucking the venom out of Bella, on one frantic call from us. He had said that Bella should regain consciousness soon, the venom was out of her blood, but still she was yet to wake up. He had a brief suspicion that because her injuries were to this extent, the healing process that we all wolves possessed would be slower than usual in her case, but he was optimistic that it would kick in, when, was the question though. He had said that he had done all he could, and now it remained on Bella's shoulders to heal her injuries. At least that part of our legends which stated that the shape shifter would die if bitten, was about to be proven wrong, or maybe Bella had just been lucky that we found someone to get the poison out of her before it could cause any severe irrevocable damage.

"I am waiting" snarled Paul, getting my attention back to him.

I sighed. There was no easy way to do this.

"So, keep an open mind while listening to what I have to say"

He nodded his head, rather reluctantly, as I took a deep breath, and opened my mouth to tell him the truth about our legends, and about his imprinter who was fighting for her life at this very moment.


	35. Crossroads

Thank you Kedrane, catgrl, .7334, Elisabeth123, MammaNita4, rachel625, Twibookworm, Stephiest and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

A/N: This story is strictly fan fiction and I don't mean to offend the Quileute tribe or their sacred legends by the medium of my work. I pay my respect to their Gods, and I apologize if anyone feels offended.

Also on a lighter note, I know many of you wanted or were expecting Paul to phase in this chapter or after seeing Bella's condition, but spoiler alert, he will not be phasing right now as I have left his phasing for a very crucial part that is still to come ahead in my story….. Thank you for reading and I hope you like it.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 14- Crossroads

Paul POV-

"I am waiting" I snarled, when I realized that Sam Uley had no immediate intention of telling me what the fuck was going on. For Fuck's sake the man had been staring into space for the past ten minutes, and frankly I had run out of patience hours back.

He sighed audibly, as if this was a big responsibility dumped on his fragile shoulders that were now slumped by the burden, before looking directly into my eyes.

"So, keep an open mind while listening to what I have to say" he said finally, taking in another deep breath, as if breathing in would somehow give him the immense courage required for whatever he was going to blabber out and dump on me.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his dramatics that was again, frankly annoying and unneeded, before nodding my head once, anything to get this done with and to get him to answer my questions.

He once again trailed into space for a few minutes, before coming back to Earth and opening his irritating trap deciding to answer my question of what the fuck had just happened here and why was Bella in that condition, and most importantly whose ass needed a good kick delivered to it?

"Paul" he said my name slowly, as if testing the waters for my mood "How much do you remember of our tribal legends?"

I glared at him in irritation, wanting and wishing that I could slap the shit out of the guy. Was he purposefully trying to annoy me and test my hanging by a small little thread patience?

"What the hell?" I shouted, shaking in anger "Is this the time for cracking lame jokes, or talking about things that really don't matter in my, or your life for that matter. 'How much do you remember of our tribal legends?' I mimicked his words in an annoying tone, crossing my arms in anger.

He sighed "It does matter or I wouldn't bring it up. Now answer my question"

I rolled my eyes deciding to humor him and his twisted way of answering a one word answer question with a paragraph long answer.

"Not much" I said with a nod "We are descended from wolves. Then there was this dude, some Taha or Kaha or something. He was blessed by the spirits and entered the body of a Tiger or Panther, or no Wolf. Yeah wolf, and then there was some crap about the cold ones and the Cullens who were supposedly these cold ones and yeah that's it…." I trailed off, frowning at the mention of Jasper Hale Cullen. He was no better than a leech even if he wasn't a literal leech.

He hit his forehead with his hands harshly, as if he couldn't believe the audacity of the words that had just left my mouth.

"What" I questioned him, giving him an exasperatedly bored look. He was annoying me and simultaneously boring the shit out of me with his melodrama.

"Why me?" he said, shaking his head, looking at the sky above, and I almost, maybe, saw a tear fall out of his eyes.

Yeah, I felt bad for the guy. Not. He got himself in this situation, and if he wanted to blame someone, he should point the finger at himself. Who told him to be the one to open the door? You do the deed, you pay the price.

"You know nothing?!" he scowled and stated, first asking the question and then answering it too.

I just shrugged. Who really paid attention to all this, anyways? And it was also no guesswork that my deadbeat father was not much about educating his only son on our tribal culture and beliefs, in his free when he was not drunk time. Neither did he care nor did he bother enough to make me care. The only things I knew and remembered was a bit of what Billy had pushed into my mind by repeatedly reciting it to us at the Sunday gatherings or the tribal bonfires that we were obliged to attend when we were kids, on first beach. And after not really hearing or thinking about them for years I could confidently say that I didn't remember anything substantial of it.

He sighed, taking another deep breath in "Okay, no big deal. I will just have to tell them to you again" he said more to himself than to me, and I rolled my eyes at his pep talk. Have I mentioned before, how overdramatic he was acting?

"Now, Listen carefully" he said in all seriousness and I nodded my head, my eyes wide in disbelief. The guy was even weirder than I had thought him to be.

He started telling me how the Quileute's had always been a small people from the beginning and we still were but we had never disappeared, because we had magic in our blood, the magic of being spirit warriors, and then shape shifters. He narrated the story of Kaheleha who was the first spirit chief in history, and how he had used magic to defend our lands by transforming into a spirit warrior to protect our land against intruders… Blah….. Blah….. Blah

"Whoa, hold on" I interrupted him and his tiresome monologue "Does this really have a point to this, because I don't know about you, but I definitely have work to do. Starting with finding who and why, is responsible for Bella being like this, and making sure that he or she pays for it"

He sighed, shutting his eyes tight "If you let me continue, you will know that this does have a point to it"

"Okay fine" I conceded "Just keep it short this time around"

He nodded his head reluctantly, as he once again started speaking "The Legend goes that one spirit warrior, Utlapa wanted to use his powers to enslave neighboring tribes, the Hohs and the Makahs. Unwilling to use the warriors' powers for such monstrous purposes, his chief Taha Aki banished him from the tribe. One day, the chief left his body in a hiding place to sweep through the valley in his spirit form, searching the area for anything that may pose a threat to the tribe. Utlapa followed him and possessed his body, then cut his own body's throat to prevent Taha Aki's return. The chief wandered for a while in spirit form, watching the thief do horrible things to his people. One day though, the chief's spirit found a large, beautiful wolf in the woods. Though jealous of the wolf's physical form, an idea came to him. He asked the wolf to share his body with him, to which the wolf agreed. Rushing back to the village as a wolf, he met a party of warriors, and tried to make himself known by yelping Quileute songs. One of the warriors, an elderly man named Yut realized that the wolf was under a spirit's control, and disobeying the usurper Utlapa's orders not to enter the spirit world, left his body to talk to the beast. The false chief was enraged at Yut for entering the spirit world as he feared that his treachery would be revealed, and killed the warrior. Taha Aki who had witnessed this was furious, and he lunged to kill the man; his emotions were too much for the wolf, and it transformed into a magnificent human, the glorious flesh interpretation of Taha Aki's flawless spirit. The false chief was killed, and things were rapidly set right. Taha Aki sired many children, and found out that his sons, at the age of manhood, could transform to wolves too. And so, these are our tribal legends" finished Sam, taking a deep breath in.

I rolled my eyes in answer, still unable to comprehend why I had been subjected to this. I know I know that this is my tribal history, and I should be more respectful towards it, and I want to, believe me, but isn't there a time and place for everything?

"Now can you tell me what I want to know, if you are done with informing me about stuff that makes not more than a percent difference in either your or my life. And anyways, I need to go check on Bella again"

Ever since I had seen the extent of her injuries, my craving to be around her had increased to nearly double, almost as if I needed to protect her and keep her safe, now that she was at her most vulnerable.

Sam laughed, first merely a few chuckles, but soon there was full blown laughter that could be heard for miles "Only if you knew" he muttered, his hysterical laughs soon toning down to amusement filled chuckles "Oh, Paul! It makes much more difference than just a percent for the both of us. It is the exact opposite actually"

"How" I raised an eyebrow at his supposed confidence.

He laughed once again, an expression of amusement and mild gloating on his face.

"Wait here. I will just be back" saying so, he disappeared behind the trees that surrounded the Uley house, leaving me standing there, staring at absolutely nothing, like a freaking moron.

"Look I don't know what pleasure you are getting from my misery, but don't you think it is getting a bit too much. I know you don't like me, the feeling is completely mutual, but don't you think you should be thinking about your sister right now, and wasting my time is not going to help anyone at this point of time. So let's just cut the crap and…."

"Whoa" I stumbled back in shock, my earlier spoken words trailing off in mid air, as a freakishly massive Black wolf walked out of the surrounding trees, directly in my direction. Actually, walked would be the wrong word here, coz that wolf was galloping instead of just walking, his head held high, and his dark coal like black eyes burning into me, giving me the most menacing look that it could possibly muster. Almost as if it meant to scare me to shit… and unfortunately, I guess it was working.

"Umm" I said, partially looking at the ground, shying away from meeting the wolf's eyes, in a small act of submission. No need to anger the beast, more than he already was "Look, if you know Snow, you can ask her. She has met me before" Okay, met was probably an exaggeration, she had just seen me once, but when you lie, you lie to your best "I am pretty harmless, and I am not even much fun to eat…. not much mass you know, not like she has any experience in that, but I guess you get the point" Yeah I know, talking to wolf who did not even understand a word of what I said was not my brightest idea, but in such crucial life threatening situations, you work with what you have "But my friend Sam, he is built like a fucking Mack truck. It will be like eating at a buffet. He is just behind those trees….." I said pointing towards the woods behind the wolf.

Hey! I know that that was evil, but in a crisis, it is always each man for itself.

I took a step back, as slowly and stealthily as possible. I knew it was stupid to run from a wolf, and yeah, I was not even that stupid to try so.

The black wolf then did something completely unexpected, making my eyes widen again, this time in surprise and disbelief. He barked out loud, his bark sounding like a million loud guffaws, almost like if he had been a man, he would be holding his stomach from laughing that hard. He then trembled, his entire body shaking from head to toe… and then Lo and behold, in front of me stood the great Sam Uley, exactly where the wolf had once stood.

"Are you always this much of a loser, or is today a special occasion?" asked the freak of a man who could turn into a wolf, pulling me out of my gaping trance, with a big taunting smirk on his face.

"Ha Ha Ha, you are so funny" I said in a monotonic voice, attempting to be sarcastic. "So, what is this, a lab experiment gone wrong?" I could not think of another sane reason how this could happen.

He chuckled, shaking his head with a small smile on his face "You know, Bella had thought the exact same thing when she phased for the first time, and saw the human turned wolf shocker. I had seen it in her head. No wonder….." he left his sentence hanging in mid-air.

I nodded my head. Yeah, that was something Bella would have thought.

"Wait" I mumbled aloud, the implications of his words catching onto me, a second too late "What do you mean by 'you saw it in her head'? Is this some twisted, unusual, nonsensical way of saying she told you so, because that would make complete sense if it were?"

He laughed once again "Are you not at all in shock?"

I shrugged, Stranger things have happened before, if not with me than with others at least, and anyways I had always known that the guy was a freak. Now it was just confirmed. The only thing I was glad about was that I was not dying anytime today. That would have been a real pity.

"So, I am guessing this is why you told me the legends" I stated

He nodded his head "Yeah, they are true. And when I said I saw it in her head that is exactly what I meant. When we are in our wolf forms, we can read each other's thoughts and can communicate through our mind. It helps in protecting our heads in a fight"

"Wait" I whispered, as my feet involuntarily took a step back in shock "You mean Bella too is this….. this…. this…."

My words stuttered in disbelief, as my years of learning failed to provide me with a suitable word that I could use to express what I was feeling and thinking off, at the moment.

"Shape- shifter, that is the word you are looking for" Sam interrupted my nervous stutter "Yeah, she is a wolf too. Actually she was the first out of us to phase, and is the Alpha"

"How" I whispered, still in shock.

Apparently, learning that shape shifters exist does not lead to me getting surprised, but news of my best friend turned new friend being one, is enough to push me into deep shock, rendering me incapable of speech.

He shrugged "You heard the legends. Proximity to the cold ones triggers the change"

"You mean the Cullens are really vampires? But how" I questioned, horrified.

He gave me a 'duh! Wasn't that obvious' stare "If shape shifters exist, wouldn't the one who triggers their change exist to?"

"But, Jasper and she….." I started to protest. How was this possible? Bella was dating a vampire? I shuddered in disgust and worry. Disgust because it was creepy, the guy was dead, and worry because again the guy was dead. He was literally a dead man walking. That was creepy, wasn't it?

Sam interrupted me, his body trembling in anger "I don't know how she bears to be around him. They smell disgusting to us, like rotten garbage. But you know how Bella is, she does not see the fact that he is our mortal enemy, and is a fucking blood sucking leech. All she sees is the person, over the name tag or identity they have been forced to accept. She somehow believes that he is a good person, as he helped her once before in life, and even that leech is just not ready to let go of his clutches that he has over her. His first friend in over a century is what he says" he scoffed in disgust.

The anger and annoyance that he felt over the situation was clear on his face, and I had to give it to the guy. I did not specifically like him, understatement, but anyone who disliked Jasper Fucking Hale as much as I did, was good in my books. No matter the fact that we had completely different reasons for disliking him, but then again that hardly mattered. Isn't there a saying- The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or something like that.

"Yeah, sounds like Bella" I mumbled with a nod "So, are you the only two in this….." I waved my hand in mid air, not knowing what the correct word for this 'group' of theirs would be. Wolves generally had a pack, but shape shifters were still part human, weren't they?

"Pack" he finished my unspoken sentence, confirming my doubts.

"Really" I questioned him, mildly amused "You guys really call yourself a pack of wolves?"

He shrugged "As strange as that sounds, and as today is your lucky day, and I am the unfortunate one stuck in this terrible situation, I will answer your question. Bella was the first to phase and become the Alpha of our little pack, then me and lastly Jared. Even Levi Uley is a wolf, but he is in a different pack, as he was the Beta or the second of the last pack"

"Jared too" I raised my eyebrow in question, trying to digest all the information that he had thrown upon me.

He nodded his head, looking slightly irritated and even mildly angry, as if a thought was bothering him.

"I guess it is story time again" he said with a small humorless laugh "You will understand more if you know the entire story"

I nodded my head, listening on with curiosity as he went on to divulge how Bella had phased, the actual term for their changing into a wolf, close to a year back, and how she had roamed around these woods, having no idea of how to change back, or even how she had become this in the first place. He told me how she had come to meet Levi and Ellen, who were from the last pack and had kept on phasing, living as immortals, and how finally she had found out the truth, becoming the Alpha or the leader of their little pack. Sam had been the next to phase and his phase had been comparatively easier as Bella had been there to guide him, and lastly Jared had phased, making their pack strength to three.

I nodded my head, as he finally finished updating me about the events till date "All this is hunky dory and shit, but now will you tell me how Bella ended up like this? She has deep red painful scratches on her body and someone obviously has bitten her too. Has that Cullen done this?" I shook in anger "Did he hurt her?"

Sam shook his head, sighing "No, I would have gladly ripped him apart if he had even tried to hurt her, but it was not him"

"Then who" I asked suspiciously "Did you do this?" I took a step ahead in anger, the threat clear in my voice. He may be a mighty dangerous looking wolf, but I was not scared, now that I knew the truth.

I knew blaming him was irrational. Entire La Push and Forks knew how overprotective Bella's brothers were when it came to her, but that is the thing about anger. Rational or irrational just doesn't matter in a fit of rage.

He rolled his eyes, huffing in annoyance "It is definitely not me, though I don't know how you got this terrible idea"

"Then who" I said through gritted teeth

He sighed, a heavy invisible weight falling on his shoulders; pushing them downwards with the weight they held "It was a coven of nomadic vampires. We attacked them, as that is what we are meant to do when human feeding vampires trespass our land, and while fighting one of them, Bella was bitten and scratched. We called Dr. Cullen who removed the venom from her body before it could have reached her heart, but even he could not say when she would wake up. He said that once her body has healed internally, she will open her eyes"

As soon as the last word of his sentence reached my ears, off I was in the opposite direction, with a clear plan in my head, the plan of taking revenge. I don't know how I would do this, but I would find a way to kill that vampire who dared to do this. I was fuming in anger and the thoughts of creating destruction when Sam's voice stopped me in the tracks.

"It is no use" he said, sympathetically for once "She is dead. We killed her and burnt her pieces"

I nodded my head, relieved that this 'she' who had hurt Bella was dead, but also angry that I had not been the one to do so.

"So wait" I said aloud, another piece of the puzzle falling into place "What color is Bella's fur?"

I had my doubts, but I needed the confirmation.

"White" he said, with a frown etched on his face, almost as if he was privy to something I wasn't.

"Snow" I whispered under my breath. So Bella had been Snow the wolf all along. She was the wolf I had seen in the woods, and more importantly the wolf that I had seen in my dreams. No wonder the she wolf in the woods had been so intelligent and responding to human contact for a wild animal.

"Yeah" he replied, standoffishly

"Who is the silver wolf then?" I asked my next important question.

According to my dreams, he was Snow's mate, as in Bella's mate. So did he also exist in the real world? If so, then who was this silver wolf?

My body convulsed in anger at this thought that she was meant to be someone else's. That somewhere out there her perfect mate existed. No…. I did not like this. I did not like this a bit.

Sam gave me a confused stare "We don't have any wolf whose fur is silver, in the pack. I am Black and Jared is brown"

"But he is her mate" I shouted in disbelief "I saw it in my dream that they were together, a family I could tell"

He stared at me for a few seconds, with a completely unrecognizable expression on his face "You should talk to Quil Sr. about these dreams. You may be having some minor prophetic powers, but only he will be able to tell you more. Though from what I have understood, I can tell you this that the silver wolf is yet to phase"

"And how would you know that?" I narrowed my eyes in suspicion

He shrugged, nonchalantly "Just a hunch" his face though betraying the nonchalance in his voice, almost as if he knew who this silver wolf was.

"You know who it is" I accused him "Who is it?"

"You should not know of some things before the time for it arrives" he said, his eyes wiser than normal.

"Who" I repeated, my teeth gritted and my entire body shaking in anger. I wanted to know who this was. I needed to know who this was.

"It is not my place, Paul" he sighed "She has to decide this. I can't….."

"Just tell me who it is" I shouted, spitting out the words in anger.

I didn't know what I was going to do with this information, but at this point getting the name out felt like the first step in the correct direction.

"Okay" he sighed, after a few long tense minutes "I am telling you the name, but I really hope my risk pays off. Maybe you will be the key, the motivation she requires to finally open her eyes. We can only hope"

"Who" I repeated through gritted teeth, as he opened his mouth to say the name.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Imprint" "Really, Bella?" I questioned, saying the word out loud for possibly the first time, in front of the sleeping form of the girl, who….. Who had imprinted on me, tying us both together through a mystical bond for life. I had repeated this one word close to hundred times in my head in the past two days, but still saying it out loud felt more real, more permanent, more absolute…..

"How could you hide something like this from me?" I questioned with a sigh "Though to be honest, I probably would have done the same, if I was in your place. I know how scary it would have been. We had just become friends again and to tell the other something this big… it couldn't have been very easy"

I shook my head with a deep sigh, taking my head in my hands the next minute. The past few days, ever since Sam had told me everything, had been stressful to say the least. I didn't know how to react any longer. It was as if my entire world, everything I had known of, had now tilted on its axis, forcing me to accept a completely new reality, one whose existence I was not even aware of.

"Can you even hear me?" I questioned Bella, sitting on a chair beside Bella's bed in her bedroom. It was now almost three days since she had been attacked and had fallen unconscious, but she was still to wake up. Her scratches though had nearly faded, but according to Dr. Cullen the bite mark would remain a testimony to her bravery "Oh" I said with an understanding nod "Now I understood why you are not responding back. You are angry at me right?" I said, my throat drying up a bit with unshed tears that I knew were not going to fall "I know you are angry that I did not come to meet you for so long, but Bella you know me. You know how I run away from anything that has to do with feelings and emotions and all"

I knew it was silly talking to someone who possibly couldn't even hear a word of what I was speaking, but it was sort of cathartic I guess, and even showed hope. We were hopeful that she would wake up. I was hopeful that she would wake up. And I was not the only one to do so, Sam, Allison and even Kim, who was now in the secret because of Jared imprinting on her, often came to talk to Bella like this, in the hope that maybe she was listening, but this was the first time I had been able to raise enough courage to come here.

"You know your ass of a brother hardly told me anything about imprinting" I playfully pouted, trying to lighten the mood "He just told me the basics, the gravity moving and that person becoming the most important person in your life, after which he quickly shifted to his own imprinting on Emily Young and how he was fighting it, telling me that it was not the end of the road, and being imprinted on did not necessarily mean that I needed to ruin your life by being tied down to me" I gave out a small laugh "Can you believe it? He did not even try to hide his dislike for me, but then again I am equally vocal when it comes to him" "The bottom line though is that you need to wake up, because trust me when I say this we have a lot to talk about. I know I know that that would have been enough motivation for you to keep sleeping on, but I promise that if you wake up, we will do whatever you want us to do" I finished, my voice breaking at the end. You know they say that you understand the true value of a person when you are close to losing them. I had already lost her once due to my own stupidity and I was not willing to do this again.

"Paul" Allison said softly, from the door of Bella's room "Cherry is waiting in the living room for you. She came looking for you, and I have prepared some sandwiches. Should I get you some, or will you come downstairs to eat?"

I looked at her, looking away from Bella for possibly the first time since I had come to see her today, and quickly told Allison that I would be down soon, once I was done talking to Bella. She nodded her head and left the room, leaving us both alone.

I sighed. I would have to tell Cherry something, regarding my weird behavior that I now knew was due to the imprint, but I would worry about that later.

"Did I tell you" I said, looking at Bella again "I kicked Jared's whiny puny ass. Sam told me how he had fought you. That asshole" I spat out in anger.

Sam had been quick to fill me in on what Jared had done to Bella, once he had realized that I was willing to kick anyone's ass who had hurt Bella and I had not let him or myself down when I had gone to confront Jared, as wolf or not, no one messes with Bella. I had even managed to leave two permanent scars on his extremely fast healing body.

"Yeah, he too is desperately waiting for you to wake up. Kim has stopped talking to him, and I have warned him that if he doesn't apologize to you as soon as you wake up, he will have two matching scars to his first two, again given by me" I gloated with a smirk.

Bella's face remained as impassive as it had been, and I sighed. We would have to try another way to make her wake up.

"Okay, I am going to let you sleep in peace now" I smiled at the irony in the situation "I am feeling a little hungry so I will go and feed myself, but don't you worry I am coming back up soon. I have taken reading duties from Allison today. She has some urgent work to attend to"

Allison had made it a point to read Wuthering Heights to Bella every day, as it was her favorite book and she felt that Bella would enjoy listening to it and so today as Allison was busy with some last minute urgent work, I had volunteered to read to Bella.

Looking at Bella one last time I quickly left the room and walked down the stairs to where Allison and Cherry were sat talking, and after grabbing my plate of sandwiches from the kitchen counter, I made my way back to sit on the adjoining sofa. Allison quickly excused herself saying that she had some work in her room.

"So, I have hardly seen you in these past few days, and that is saying something as we live in the same house" said Cherry, a bit bitterly and equally confused.

I shrugged. It was not like I had any answer for her.

"Do you want to go to the beach today?" she asked, her voice filled with hope.

I shook my head hastily, ignoring the pain in her eyes when I said no. I was not leaving Bella and going anywhere.

She sighed "But….."

Her voice and the words that came with it faded to the background as Allison's loud whisper filled the room "Paul, Bella has opened her eyes"

A/N: I generally don't give story recommendations but I just could not resist myself this time. If you are a fan of reading Jasper- Bella stories and don't prefer much angst, I recently read an amazingly wonderful story - A Forest Fire by Bedelia. It has a very unique story line. There is also no character bashing, be it wolf or vampire. Also another bonus, it has a strong Bella. So give it a read, if you get the chance. Thank you.


	36. The revelation of the unknown pov

Thank you Twibookworm, brankel1, MammaNita4, .7334, catgrl and the guest reviewer for your reviews.

A/N: Filler chapter. I am referring to the unknown point of view I had written earlier- Part IV, chapter 8- The green eyed monster.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 15- The revelation of the unknown POV

"So, I have hardly seen you in these past few days, and that is saying something as we live in the same house" I said, as Paul sat on the sofa facing me, and munched on his sandwich. I desperately tried to hide the bitterness and disappointment that was seeping through my pores at this fact, but I guess I was not as successful as I wished to be, as it all came out lacing through my voice.

He merely shrugged, and the anger that I was feeling rose a bit. He could not even give me a proper answer. Did he not even think me worthy of deserving that much? We lived together. Yes I was aware that it was more like I was the guest in his house, but still we had been roommates back in Pittsburgh, and even more than that we had been friends since years. At least I deserved the courtesy of knowing why I had seen so less of him these past few days.

"Do you want to go to the beach today?" I asked, a small ray of hope building in my chest. Maybe he had not meant to make me feel like this. Maybe he had no idea that he was making me feel so low and so disappointed. I had never been one to hound another. I believed in personal space, and more than that the fact that everyone needed a bit of personal time in their life. I was not Paul's keeper and it was definitely not his duty to tell me everything of what was happening in his life….. But it would have been nice to know that he trusted me enough to tell me of what was happening in his life, which required so much time of him that he did not even have those few rare minutes to talk to me and tell me where he had been the past entire day. Heck, I did not even know when the guy came home, or when he left to go out again. The only indication I had that he was even coming home was that I could see the dirty dishes lying in the sink, Paul hated doing dish duty, or the fact that I could see the leftovers in the fridge lessening by the day. Other than that I had no clue whatsoever, and his phone had been perpetually switched off to make things oh so better!

He shook his head in a hurry, almost as if the idea of spending time with me repulsed him, and I could not hide the hurt that small, maybe not even meant gesture caused in me. Maybe he was genuinely busy. Maybe he wanted to spend time with me, but something had come up. Maybe…..

"But….. It would be fun. The weather is good today" I sighed, trying to convince him otherwise. It had been so long since we had spent quality time together, and even though I had not booked my flight ticket for going back home as of now, I knew that I could not stay here indefinitely. I liked living here, but this was not my home. My home was Pittsburgh, and now that I had seen Paul living here, reconnecting with his childhood friends, I was afraid that he would choose not to come back with me, back to our home. He had nothing calling him back over there. He could choose to stay here, while I would have to go back, to our home…., to my home, and that scared me. I hadn't even known how used to I was to him being around. It was just normal to have him around.

Suddenly, before Paul could reply back to me and let me down once again, from the way he was looking at me, Allison's voice wafted through the house, the happiness that she was feeling clearly evident in her tone "Paul, Bella has opened her eyes"

It was like an imaginary switch was turned on in Paul's head, as not even a second later he went running towards Bella's room up the stairs, leaving me standing there behind, my words and my presence long forgotten.

"Wow…. That went well" I said with a huff, sarcastically. Quite the opposite, wasn't it.

I sat back on the sofa, feeling like shit, and thinking of just running out of here. Anything would be better than facing the embarrassment that I would have to face when Paul finally remembered once again of my presence, but then again wouldn't just disappearing like that, in someone else house, be considered impolite. Allison had opened the door for me, letting me in, and so leaving without informing her that I was leaving, would be considered rude. At least that was what my mom had pushed into my head, on the few rare occasions when I had paid the attention to listen to her incessant ramblings.

It was not a long wait, as in just close to five minutes, Allison came down the stairs and sat opposite me on the sofa, a broad smile on her face, as she wiped a stray tear from her eyes, a tear that I was sure was of relief.

"So, how is Bella feeling now, Mrs. Uley?" I asked politely. Bella was not my friend, the reason for so, I had no idea of, as from my side I wanted to be her friend, but still knowing how stressful the past few days had been for the Uley's made me ask this question.

She smiled, almost like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders "I have told you before, please call me Allison, and Bella's feeling better now. She has opened her eyes…. finally, and even though she is a bit puzzled and overwhelmed at the moment, Paul is talking to her, and trying to get her to calm down, and not ask as many questions as she is currently" she laughed a short laugh "The girl can be such a worrywart at times. She wants to know of every minute that she has missed. Paul is such a good boy though" She smiled, looking at her lap "I worry so much about her, with all that is going on…. but with Paul around to look after her, I feel better. He is good….. good for her" she whispered, before looking up at me, her expression a little shocked, as if she hadn't meant to say all of that out loud "I am sorry, I didn't mean to…."

I cut her off, with a small smile on my face "its okay. Paul is a wonderful person, and Bella is lucky to have a friend like him in her life. He genuinely cares for her"

The words that had left my mouth, I genuinely believed in them. Yes, Bella was lucky to have a friend like Paul, who was extremely loyal and protective once he started to care for you, but still the words felt bittersweet as they left my mouth. I knew that Paul and Bella had history, they had been childhood friends, and had once shared a friendship that rarely forms more than once in a lifetime, I had heard it all before, but still the pinch that he would very well forget me, if something happen to Bella, hurt. Coming here today, to see if Paul was here, was also an opportunity of chance that had paid off. I had just taken a guess to check over here, and for once my guesswork had paid off.

She nodded her head in agreement, and I took that as my cue to tell her that I was leaving, and it was nice talking to her. I told her that I would come to visit Bella again, once she was feeling up to it, as no matter what who said, I knew that I was not one of her favorites, and it was better if she first spoke to family, before leaving from the Uley house. I did not mention Paul, as passing messages via another just didn't make any sense. Hopefully Paul would come back home and talk to me sometime soon. Now that even Bella was awake, I just didn't see the reason for him not to.

I must have hardly walked ten steps out of the front door when I roughly fell on my back after hitting something or rather someone hard, built like a tank and feeling like steel.

"Whoa!" I chided, rubbing my arm that had come in contact with said steel like boy, more like man "What are they feeding you?"

Embry, who looked older and somehow bigger than when I had seen him last, a week back, grinned, showing all his perfectly straight white teeth "I have been working out. Is it showing?"

He gave me his hand, helping me stand up once again, as I looked or rather admired him. He had recently turned fifteen a few weeks back, his birthday being a small affair as he did not believe in making a fuss out of what he termed 'just a normal day', and had preferred to rather see a movie in Port A, with Jake and Quil, but coming back to the point, he didn't look like any fifteen years old I had ever seen before in life. He was filling out, his height increasing and his chest, abs and pecs filling out, making him look almost delectable, and he now looked closer to eighteen than to fifteen. Even his face was more mature and closer looking to an adult, than a just hitting puberty, lanky awkward teenager.

"Are you checking me out?" he smirked, puffing his chest out in pride.

I scoffed with a fake laugh "You wish, Kid!"

"So, you agree that you are an old lady, if you think that I am a kid" he asked, with the same smirk plastered on his face.

I rolled my eyes "Yeah, if you think eighteen is old then yes. But you are an ignorant teenager, yet to even enter the real world. You probably do believe that reaching your twenties is old"

It was a running joke between the both of us that I called him 'Kid' and he referred to me as 'old lady', even though I was way way far from actually being one. I know it was kiddish, but yeah, not every friendship has to make complete sense. It was just one of those 'our thing' kind of deal.

He folded his arms together, sarcastically muttering "You are so funny. Why don't you try for being a standup comedian?"

I fake smiled "Funnier than you at least, and less lamer than you, too"

He scoffed, deciding to change the subject "So, where are you off to?" "And what were you doing here, at my house. Come to see me?" he winked, trying to act flirtatious. Key word here being- trying. Ever since Embry had broken up, or mutually ended his not so much as a relationship, but a trial of a relationship with his first girlfriend who was more like a friend, and just wanted to try out the relationship scenario and experience 'making out', he was trying to reaffirm his place in the world as a Casanova, or mildly put a free bird trying to fly in the air for the first time, with no fixed destination in mind. Yeah, like every other hormonal teenager out there. I know I know that I too was a teenager, and it could be hypocritical of me, but I was eighteen, nineteen in a few months. In my opinion, I was definitely out of this awkward, only hormone induced phase. Saying so, I was also not looking for celibacy or sainthood, but I was ready for a bit more seriousness and 'thinking about the future' kind of deal.

I grinned widely "In your dreams, kid. In your dreams" "But, on a serious note, I was here to see Paul. Could not find him around, so took a chance, and I really don't know where I am off too. Even netflixing has a limit to it, I guess" I finished with a shrug, trying to hide my actual feelings of being left behind.

He looked confused for a bit "Why is Paul Lahote here?"

I shrugged again. It was not like he told me stuff, at least not since he moved here "Probably to see Bella. Oh, Bella has woken up. I just heard it from Allison"

He gave me an excited smile "Really?"

I nodded my head, trying to look happy for him, though it wasn't that difficult to pretend. I was genuinely happy for him. The rumor mills of La Push, that I had acquainted myself with, on one of my rare visits to the local grocery story, had updated me of how Bella Uley had been in a car accident; the remains of her broken truck were found in a mess by the road connecting La push and Forks, and how she had been in Coma since. For a change Dr. Cullen who rarely gave home visits, as I had heard from the local grapevine, was personally monitoring her condition, or so I had heard. I was not as close to the Uley's to actually go and inquire on the exact details though.

"I should go in" he asked, rather stated, as he pointed towards the door.

I instantly nodded my head "Yeah"

He had merely taken two steps to walk ahead when he suddenly stopped, surprising me "What did you mean by 'you don't know where you are off to?' Is that even possible to not know where your feet are leading you to?"

I shrugged, a small smile making its way "I will probably go to the beach or something. Read a book for a change, or maybe plug in my IPod"

Now that I thought about it, I had really not read anything, except probably PEOPLE or The Hollywood reporter in a while, but I guess as they say there is a first for everything.

He looked conflicted for a moment, before he shook his head, a new determination visible on his face "I am coming with you. You could use some company"

I gave him a glare. I was a grown up, I did not like to be pitied "Look, it is really not a big deal. I am not new to La Push; I am not going to get lost, not like there is much to get lost anyways. But the point being is that your sister has just woken up from a Coma. You should go see her. If you feel like it, you can join me later on. I will probably be on the beach for a while"

He shook his head in haste "No, you look upset. You should not be alone right now"

I stared at him in shock and even more than that, surprise. How was it that Paul, who I had known since years had not been able to pick up on this simple fact that I was upset, but Embry who I had hardly known for a few weeks, could say so?

"But, your sister…." I whisper- shouted "You should be with family"

He shrugged "And I will be in some time. Anyways too many people will be hounding Bella at the moment. If I know my mom and Sam, they will be the first two in that list" he chuckled lightly.

I gave him a nod, not knowing how to react to his words. It was not like he was bad company or anything; I just didn't know how to react to him coming to my aid, when I didn't even know that I needed said help or company in the first place.

"So, beach?" he asked, after a minute of silence.

I shrugged "Sure, if you have no other plans"

"Nope, no other plans" he replied, with a shake of the head and a small smile, as the both of us starting walking to the beach in comfortable silence.

"So, Ms. Williams" he turned to look at me, as we walked side by side, on the smooth sand, barefoot. There was a completely different level of happiness in walking barefoot, taking in the feel of the sand as it stuck in the middle of your toes. My experience with sand, water and beaches was very limited, having never lived close to the beach, but in the short few times that I had visited a beach, immersing my feet under a pile of sand, as the cool wind whipped through the air, making my hair fly in every direction, making me regret my decision of not tying them up, was one of my favorite memories. It was a feeling of freedom and complete serenity.

"So, Mr. Call" I responded, with a small teasing smile.

He made an 'hmm' like sound as he kicked a small rock that lay in his path "What does Charlotte mean?"

"Random much" I asked sarcastically, not knowing where that question came from.

He just shrugged in return, coaxing me to answer his question.

"Okay" I sighed, with a roll of the eyes "Well, Charlotte originally means free, but I was named after Charlotte Bronte. My mother was a big fan of her works, and especially of Jane Eyre. Not very fascinating I guess, but it is an okay name"

"Better than mine at least" he muttered under his breath, so low that I almost missed it.

I look at him in amusement, as a smirk covered my face "Okay, so I really need to know this now" "what's the story behind the name Embry? Come on, I need to know this" I pleaded, teasingly, giving him my infamous pout.

He shook his head "No way. No one ever needs to know of that"

"Hey" I pouted "I answered your question. Be fair, and answer mine"

I grinned as I stared at him, trying to give in, and my bad mood all but forgotten.

He shook his head once again "Nope, not happening"

"Embry, please" I said, jutting my lower lip out, trying to look as innocent as possible.

He sighed "I already know that I am going to regret this, but still I don't know why I am doing this"

I rubbed my hands in excitement "Come on, spill"

He shook his head, with a small smile on his face "my name came from a soap opera. Tiffany, my mom, was in love with the main lead of it, he coincidentally had the name Embry"

"Fuck" I said, before I could stop myself, my face grinning wide in disbelief "Really?" I mumbled, through my giggles, as my laughter refused to stop "I am sorry, this is just…." I waved my hands in the air, trying to speak words through my laughter, which nearly seemed impossible at the moment.

"See. I told you" he whispered, looking embarrassed and mildly upset.

"Hey, it is not so bad" I reassured him "At least you were named after a person, even if he was fictitious. It could have been worse. You could have been named after a fruit, a color, or imagine a place or planet"

"Really?" he looked into my eyes, shock visible on his face "People name their kids after all that?"

I shrugged "I knew a girl named Irelynn back in high school"

"Crap, really?" "What does it even mean?"

I shrugged again "A variation of Ireland, apparently. Her middle name was Cara; she made everyone call her that. She said anything was better than being called Irelynn"

He nodded his head in agreement "Poor girl"

I too gave a nod at that "So, do you have a middle name?"

"James" he said, with a shrug "After my paternal grandfather"

"Embry James Call" I said aloud, testing the words on my tongue "Sweet"

He laughed "Thanks" "What about you, any middle name?"

"Nora" I said, with a shrug "Charlotte Nora Williams"

He grinned at me "Nice"

I involuntarily blushed under his stare, as we continued to walk down the beach, unknowingly walking closer than we had been before.

"So, Cherry" he said, after a few minutes of silence "Can I ask you something?"

I nodded my head, giving him the go ahead.

"Do you like Paul?" he asked, slowly, unsurely

I gave him a confused glance "We have been friends for a while now. Wouldn't it be strange if I didn't like the guy, and couldn't stand him?"

His eyebrows widened comically, as he shook his head "No, I didn't mean it in that way. I mean do you like like him"

"Oh" I whispered, understanding what he meant "You mean to ask if I have feelings for him?"

He nodded his head, waiting for me to answer.

I sighed "I won't lie; there was a time when I thought that he could be it. You know the 'it' every person one day searches for. But I soon realized that he did not think of me in the same light, and working on those newly found feelings would just lead to disappointment, and maybe would also end our friendship. Also we are very different people when it comes to life choices, and so it would be better to only be friends, and so to answer your question, I like Paul, but like a friend or a faraway cousin who is more a friend than a relative"

He nodded his head, contemplating something in his head.

"Why do you ask though?" I asked, curiosity dripping through my voice.

He shrugged, chickening out of answering me.

"Hey" I protested, seeing his courage to answer wavering "I answered honestly. Now your turn"

He sighed audibly "Fine" "The thing is I am confused thinking of Paul and Bella. Sometimes I think he likes her, or I think she likes him, but she is also my sister, and I will gladly rip apart any boy who tries to take advantage or her, and…."

"Whoa" I said, stopping him in his tracks "Ignoring all the ripping apart discussion, you think Paul and Bella have feelings for one another?"

"Don't you think so?" he questioned me, surprised"

I shrugged "I don't know, even though I have lived her for a while now. It is confusing at times. Sometimes I think they do, and it is just so obvious, but the other times I am like, Nah, they definitely don't think of each other like that"

He nodded his head "I know what you mean. I guess they really are confused themselves"

I made an hmm like sound.

"Would you be happy if they were?" he asked, looking at me in curiosity and mild worry.

I shrugged, looking at my feet "I guess. He is my best friend. I want him to be happy, even if it isn't with me. Sure, I felt a bit neglected these past few days, but isn't that inevitable in the long run?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

"As you grow older, there will always be someone who will precede your importance in another's life then be it friend or family. Nothing is permanent, and with time relationships change, friends come and go. I just didn't expect it to happen this soon" "What about you?" I asked, diverting the attention from me to him "Bella is your sister too"

"Honestly, I hate it" he laughed "No one can ever be good enough for my sister, you know, but if she likes someone, and is happy then….."

I nodded my head, as a question made its way in my head "But, tell me something….."

"Wait" he interrupted me, his eyes shining with an interesting idea "I have an idea. We should make this more interesting and fun. This conversation is just becoming boring"

I rolled my eyes at the fifteen year old in front of me, as he divulged into his 'great idea', making me laugh uncontrollably by the end of it.

"You are such a dork kid" I laughed, disbelievingly "Fake detectives and all"

He shrugged "It will be fun, I promise, and we will get to role-play it out, enacting it. Come on, old lady. It will be fun"

I shook my head, amusement clear on my face "Okay lame dork. Let's do this"

I had needed a distraction, and now after talking to Embry, I finally felt like I had one. We quickly donned our fake detective caps, and let the conversation between us flow, by the end of which I was sure of two things. First, someone was creating misunderstandings between them both, and second we had our first plan in place to get Paul and Bella together. Now we just had to get this thing rolling.


	37. Open your eyes and see the world

Thank you .7334, brankel1, catgrl, MammaNita4 and the guest reviewer- Twin68 for your reviews. It means a lot.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 16- Open your eyes and see the world

"Paul, Bella has opened her eyes"

My eyes lay fluttered open, the bright light in the room forcing them to squint in discomfort. After being a witness to only darkness that had lay behind the safety of my shut lids for the past unknown amount of time, this bright light I now felt was terribly uncomfortable, and I quickly shut my eyes back once again, in a futile escape to get rid of this brightness.

My head throbbed from a massive headache, almost as if I was heavily hung-over, despite the fact that I had not a sip of alcohol in my body, and I could feel a painful gash that was yet to heal, somewhere close to my shoulder, burning me with its harsh coldness, almost as if a million small ice cubes had been placed on my shoulder, and there was no way to throw them away from me, or even lift them to give me a mild, short term reprieve. I slowly tried to lift my right hand that lay close to my torso, at perfect attention, in an attempt to touch the wound, but quickly dissuaded myself, throwing the idea away, when even lifting my hand, or a finger for that matter, an inch from over where it lay, motionless and still, made me wince and curse aloud in my head.

'So, staying still was it' I quickly figured, in no mood to treat myself with more pain than I already was in.

"Bella, can you hear me?" said a familiar voice, softly, full of concern and worry, probably on seeing me in my current predicament.

'Whose voice was this?' I rattled my brain for an answer, trying to get my throbbing exhausted head to cooperate, and was not disappointed when quickly the answer came to me, as if I could ever forget the person and the memories associated with this voice.

"Paul" I whispered. My dry throat hurting from the lack of use these past few days, making me crave for an urgent glass of water. "Water" I murmured, as loud as I could manage which too be honest wasn't much, hoping that somehow someone would get the hint that I needed that sip of water on my dry throat, before I could even think of functioning back normally.

I could hear rustling from behind my closed eyelids, almost as if someone was running in haste around the room, before a glass was brought to my closed chapped lips, lowering the glass down and turning it slightly, in position for me to sip.

"Open up" said the voice, as I complied, forcing my lips to part, so that the cool liquid could reach my throat. Paul, slowly and with such softness that I never knew he possessed, lifted my head up, supporting it with one hand, and using the other to hold the glass, helped push the liquid down my throat. I quickly gulped a few sips in, relishing in the relief it provided, before detaching my lips from the glass, silently telling him that I was done drinking the water that had felt like a life saver at this point of time.

He helped lay my head back on the mattress beneath me, the familiar scent of freesias informing me that I was on my bed, before taking a sigh in, a sigh of relief.

"Can you try to open your eyes for me?" he pleaded, again with a softness I had never known he possessed within him.

I wanted to refuse. I wanted to lie still for a few more minutes, trying to bask in this calmness that I felt spreading through my body, but something in his voice, the urgency that I could hear, made me reluctantly yet worriedly open my eyes, and glance at him.

He was standing close to my bed, upright, worry lines had replaced the cocky smirk that generally rested on his face, and he had a hand running through his short black hair, as if to calm himself of the nervousness and worry he was currently experiencing.

My eyes took in his worried still slightly relieved face, before moving past, to see the only other person in the room. Allison lay standing still, clearly letting Paul take the lead, probably knowing how him being close to me, with him being my imprint would be relaxing for me in this state, and also the fact that the worry lines and the tension clearly evident on Paul's face were now starting to make even me anxious, and I was sure that even Allison could figure out his current mood. Something was wrong with him, I was sure of that.

What was he worried about? What had him so troubled?

I instantly wanted to run my hands through his face, ushering his features back to how they had been before, lifting the grimace he had on, and making it into a smirk, or rather a smile.

He looked beautiful when he smiled. His face would light up, making him look more like the ten or eleven year old carefree Paul who would run beside me on the beach, having absolutely no worries in life, only happiness to spread and feel within.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked, taking a step ahead in my direction, slowly, almost as if it was a thought for a while about decision. He then slowly took another step ahead, nervousness once again creeping onto his features, surprising me. He was unsure about something, and that was not a side I had seen often about him.

I tried my best to shrug, which didn't come out as well as I expected it to "I have been better."

He grimaced once again, an expression of pain and anger masking on his face "Why would you do that? Why would you risk your life like that? Don't you care about anyone else?" he shouted in anger, the vulnerability he was experiencing visible on his face "your family, your friends…. me…" he trailed off, once again running a hand through his hair, this time out of stress. I wanted him to continue. I wanted to hear the end of that sentence. What had he meant when he had referred to himself, and more importantly, what all did he know to be able to make a statement as such?

"What… what all do you know?" I stuttered, his tone had told me that he knew something, but what exactly, I was still unsure of.

"Everything" he said without missing a beat "Sam told me everything. More like I forced him to, but still"

I slowly nodded my head. My eyes closing without much will of mine trying to contemplate and understand the meaning and implication of that one word – Everything. Did he know about shape shifters? Did he know about me being one? Did he…. did he know about the imprint?

The last question kept swirling through my mind, like a storm in the ocean making its first appearance known.

Did he know that I was tied to him…. for life? Was he angry about it? Or worse, was he indifferent? Did he hate me for it?

No…. that could not be true. If he hated me, he would not have been here, or maybe he was waiting for me to wake up so that he could tell me this on my face. I would not be able to bear it if it were so.

My eyes shut tighter, as my body straightened in trepidation, waiting for him to say it out loud, waiting for him to say how he hated me and could not bear to even see my face any longer.

"Hey, you are okay" his calming voice soothe through my nerves "She is dead. She cannot harm you again. I will not let anyone harm you again." the anger and firm determination in his voice spread through the room.

Wait, what?

I slowly opened my eyes; half dreading this to be a trick to get me to open my eyes, before paying attention to the words that he had just spoken.

'She was dead', who was dead? Who was he talking about?

Realization suddenly struck me like a bolt of light, as the answer appeared in front of my eyes.

"The female vampire" I whispered, looking at him.

He nodded his head, his face depicting how livid he was "She is dead. The pack tore her to shreds. After what she did to you, she deserved it."

I once again rattled my brain, trying to remember what exactly had happened to cause me to be here in this state, and the answer was once again not hard to find. Memories of my fight with Jared, following which Levi had informed us of the threat, passed through my mind. I remembered the fight with that red haired vampire, attacking her, ripping her body parts apart…. the last thing I remembered though was….. was her biting me, telling me that if she were to die, so would I.

I quickly lifted my hand, ignoring the pain that coursed through my body on this action, and rubbed a finger at the spot where I had been bitten, making me realize that the ice burn that I had been feeling had been coming from here. I moved my head, trying to take a look at the bite that was now in the form of a healing crescent shaped moon. My eyes then fell on my arms that were littered with small scratches, battle scratches.

I don't think they were going anytime soon…..

"Hey, the leech doctor has said that your wounds will heal. They just need time, and you will be as good as new soon enough. You have healed internally, as you have opened your eyes." Paul reassured, with his eyes warm and kind.

I nodded my head, hesitantly. I was not worried about a few battle scars. I was well aware that when you fought, there was always the risk that you would get hurt. My childish playful fights with Embry had been enough of a proof of this. We did not fight to hurt the other, but sometimes accidents happened, and when you took the decision to fight, you had to be prepared for stuff like that. I knew that a childish banter and fighting a dangerous powerful vampire out to kill me were two completely different things, but still somewhere deep down they followed the same logic. You take the decision to attack another, no matter the who and how, and you had to be prepared for the chance of injuries.

Paul and I kept looking at one another for the next few minutes, not knowing what to say and how to start, before I saw Allison walk up to my bed, a tear rolling down her eyes.

"You scared me." she whispered, running a hand through my hair that was frankly an unwashed, uncombed mess at the moment "Don't you ever do that to me again." she threatened, kissing my forehead lightly.

"I am sorry" I mumbled, only being able to guess how difficult it must have been to see your child lay motionless and on the verge of dying in front of you. It was not an experience I ever wanted to experience, or make my mother experience again.

She nodded her head once again, sighing, before looking at me once again "I should go downstairs and call the council members. A lot of people were waiting for you to wake up." she took a step away, before turning back and looking at me "You must be hungry. I will make you some soup."

Almost on cue my stomach growled, and I gave her a sheepish smile as she chuckled, mumbling "Got the message."

She soon walked out of the room, leaving me and Paul alone. I had a million questions to ask him at the moment, some harder to ask than the others, and rolled out my first question, deciding to start with the easiest and then go my way up.

"Who brought me here? The last thing I remember is losing consciousness."

He sighed, running a hand through his face "Sam brought you here and Levi Uley immediately called the leech doctor who pulled the venom out of your body."

"How long has it been since the fight?"

"Three days"

"Three days!" I repeated his words, with a shout- whisper, trying to get up from my bed, only to result in pain spreading through my bones, making me roughly fall back on the bed.

I had been lying here, unconscious, for three days now? What all had happened in these three days? How had I taken so much time to heal? We healed pretty fast, our extreme healing powers made sure of that.

"Don't" Paul scolded "Your injuries are still healing. Don't make any sudden movements."

"What all happened in these three days?" I questioned, ignoring everything else that was happening around.

"It does not matter." he said sternly "You need rest. We will talk about all of this later."

"But" I protested weakly, my energy already drained out. I had so many questions to ask him about. Did he know about the imprint? How had he reacted to it? Was he angry? Did he hate me? How had the pack reacted to my getting bitten? How were they coping to my absence? Was Jared still fighting Sam?

Paul sighed; bringing me back to the present and making me look at him "I will answer all the questions that are roaming around in your head, but for now rest. I will be here when you wake up."

I did not want to sleep. I wanted to tell him that I was not tired, even though I knew that my face was betraying me at the moment. I wanted to talk to him, wanted to see what he thought of all of this, but as soon as his soft yet strong hands touched my eyelids, slowly shutting them, I knew that I would have to wait to ask him all what I had on mind, and I felt myself lose the battle to exhaustion.

X-X-X-X-X-X

The next time my eyes opened though, much to my disappointment and surprise, instead of Paul, sitting next to my bed checking her phone, was Leah Clearwater.

"Hey" I mumbled, trying to get up once again from the lying down posture I had been in, before deciding that the pain was really not worth it. "What are you doing here?" I asked, instantly adding "Of course, not like I am not happy to see you here."

She huffed, her face clearly portraying that she was not happy about something, before she put her phone down, quickly dumping it into her purse, and looked back at me "How could you not tell me something this important?"

I gave her a confused stare, quite unable to understand what she was talking about, as she continued talking, her tone more accusatory than normal "I thought I was like an older sister to you. An older sister you shared stuff with and came to with your problems, and similarly heard me out when I needed someone to listen. I thought you cared about me and my happiness…"

"Leah" I cut her off, confused and developing a mild headache from the riddle she had been throwing at me "I really have no idea what you are talking about."

"Really Bella?" she accused me "I could never have expected this from you, though why only blame you when my own father and the person I thought I was spending my life with, are equally to blame. No one thought about me in all of this mess. No one bothered to care." she said bitterly, I had always known that Leah was the kind who forgave but did not forget easily, but this amount of hostility was even new for her.

I frowned, parts of the puzzle forming in my mind. I had a suspicion of what she was talking about, but how could that be possible? No, it was close to impossible.

"I know the timing is terrible" she said, her face a bit apologetic "But I had to get this out of me, and who better to talk to than the alpha of the pack my fiancé belongs to."

My eyes widened in shock, the suspicion that had rose in my mind now lay confirmed. She knew!

"Who" I whispered, not needing to complete my sentence, and her face too gave away that she knew exactly of what I was asking "Shit" I cursed aloud "It was Seth, wasn't it?"

The kid had probably not been able to keep it in, and had told Leah everything, but I was once again surprised when Leah shook her head "No, he would not betray his tribe, contrary to what anyone thinks." she gave me a pointed glance, making me shift a bit at my place.

"Then who" I mumbled, confused and curious to know the answer.

"My dad" she said simply, as if stating something that should have been obvious. "He could not see me crying and wasting my life away in my sorrows any longer, and decided to instead bear the punishment the council would put on him for going against their decision of not letting me know."

"Oh" I whispered, surprised "In that case, you would also know that I was ordered not to tell you, and the order placed on me was not one I could easily break. And likewise Sam could not tell you too"

She frowned "I know that, but it does not make it any easier you know, that people you thought you knew for your entire life don't trust you enough to tell you about something that is directly affecting your life and your happiness."

"I am sorry" I whispered, knowing well that she would know what I am apologizing for, and her subsequent nod assured me of the same. I knew well that she had been dealt an unfair hand, probably the worst out of all of us. Losing your fiancé, or more accurately, coming so close to losing your life partner, without any explanation whatsoever had to be tough. Neither did she nor Sam deserve to be in this situation.

"Dad also told me about imprinting, and that Sam had imprinted on Emily, but he did not tell me what exactly happen after they told her about the legends being true. All I know is that she knows, and she wants Sam in a way more than any cousin should ever want her sister's fiancé."

I nodded my head, as she muttered 'bitch' under her breath.

"She made Sam kiss her, on the day of the party. She made sure that you were around to see."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, as I quickly told her about my conversation with Emily that day on the beach, and all that I had later on seen in Sam's head. I also went on to tell her about how Sam had been fighting the imprint, and how Emily had said that she would be back, this time though to make Sam hers.

"As if I am going to stand back and let that happen." Leah scowled in anger, once I was finished with my explanation. "That man- stealer, she always wanted what I had."

"So, what are you going to do now?" I whispered, hopeful yet slightly afraid of hearing the answer.

"Well, first" she stood up from the chair she had been sitting on "I am going to have a long talk with your brother, and shout at him, a lot" she emphasized on the 'a lot'. After which I will kiss the crap out of him and make love to him like never before, for all the days we missed because of this bullshit."

"Leah" I whined, trying to erase that image from my head "I don't want to hear that. He is still my brother you know." I said, though the small smile that I had on my face betrayed the fact that I was actually upset.

"Okay" she rolled her eyes "Then I will make life hell for Emily, for even thinking of taking what was mine, and then….."

I raised my eyebrow at that, interrupting her "What do you mean by that?"

She shrugged, like it was no big deal "When you grow up with someone, like how close Emily has been to my family, you know well of what things would rile her up, and make her shout and scream in annoyance." Her eyes took on an evil mischievous glint, making me worry slightly.

Uh-Oh! What exactly was she planning to do?

"Just be careful okay" I cautioned "We don't need the council on our backs."

"Fuck those old creeps" she said, unapologetically "They care so much about her, they go and take the spider out of her bathroom, that I am very well going to place there, and calm her down when she screams like a freaking baby."

"Leah" I said; half amused half terrified "How on earth are you going to get away with that?"

She shrugged "I know people 'cough her younger sister cough' who would help me out with stuff like this. That girl hates her more than I do, and would gladly do stuff like put itching powder in her clothes, slash her tires etcetera etcetera."

I rolled my eyes at her, feeling much lighter than I had before this conversation "Just be careful okay."

She shrugged nonchalantly "Always am"

"Okay, now go see him. I can see how much you want to, it is clearly written on your face" I said after a few minutes of silence.

She smiled "Thanks, and I am sorry that you got hurt, and am glad that those bloodsuckers met their end." "And Oh," she turned to look at me "Sam and I are going to be fighting this imprint together from now on. So, you need not worry."

I just smiled back, relieved that she now knew, as she left the room, skipping a step or two in her new found excitement.

I was glad that things were finally looking up for her and Sam.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Five thousand one hundred and sixty three… Five thousand one hundred and sixty four….. Five thousand one hundred and sixty five…

"Hey, you busy?" chirped a voice, standing at the door of my room.

I rolled my eyes, before answering "Yeah, if you count staring at the white ceiling of my room, that I never knew was this white, while I mentally count numbers to pass time, then yeah I am definitely very busy."

Kim rolled her eyes at my sarcasm, as she entered my bedroom and took the empty chair that was lying close to my bed "Glad to see that you are doing well"

I smiled back at her, instantly adding with a whine "Being on bed rest sucks though, especially when you don't feel like you need rest, but your body does not agree with your mind on that small tidbit."

Dr. Cullen who had been gracious enough to help his mortal enemy had just left after examining me a few minutes back, and as I was the first known shape shifter who had been bitten by a vampire, but had been saved, no one exactly knew how long it would take my body to get back to normal. Internally, according to Dr. Cullen, I had done a complete recovery, but still the pain that I was feeling was yet to lessen, and so temporarily he had put me on bed rest, just to be on the safer side, and under no condition was I to phase, as he had ordered. I had tried arguing that the way my body was hurting, it was very unlikely that I was planning to run a marathon any time soon, but he had just smiled a knowing smile while he once again enforced that under no circumstances was I to exert myself. He had added though, as an afterthought that the way our healing prowess worked, the pain should completely disappear in the next day or so, which I would be lying if I said I was not waiting desperately for.

Kim left out a giggle, before her face once again turned back to its serious self "But seriously though, how are you feeling now?"

"Okay, getting better by the minute." I said, keeping my answer simple yet vague. I did not know exactly what had been told around about my injury, and accidently contradicting what had been said would not bode well for us.

She just made an 'hmm' like sound at that "So, where is everyone else right now? I had to use the spare key to let myself in."

"Mom had some urgent work to attend to; Sam and Leah have gone back to their house to connect with one another again." I cringed, speaking the words out "And I don't know where Paul, who was supposed to be here, is right now. And oh, Dr. Cullen just left after checking my injuries, and has put me on temporary bed rest. So, other than staring at absolutely nothing, I don't have much to look forward to."

She rolled her eyes at my exaggeration, before mumbling a "Yeah, about that" below her breath.

I gave her a confused glance, silently asking her to say what she had in mind out loud, as she sighed before answering "Jared told me that you imprinted on Paul."

My eyes widened as I stared at her. Fighting me was one thing, but telling an unsuspecting person our secrets was something completely different. Jared was out of his mind, if he thought that something like this would go unnoticed and unpunished…..

"And before you jump to conclusions," she interrupted my trail of thought "He has imprinted on me, and so could not resist telling me everything, well as soon as it was possible."

What was this happening in my life? Why was I having the same freaking conversation thrice in the same day? How was it that I 'disappear' for three days and suddenly everyone in La Push knows that I am a shape shifter who has the ability to imprint, and is the alpha of a pack of wolves.

I nodded my head at the absurdity of the situation, a part of me glad that at least Kim and Jared were not going to be separated or were to face problems like Leah and Sam had. "So, how are you taking it?"

She gave out a short laugh "You know me. I love animals, be it an overgrown puppy only, but at the moment though, I have told Jared that I need time to think this through."

"Kim" I said, shocked, trying to sit up. She helped me sit on the bed, before going back and sitting on the chair once again "Why would you need to think about this? You and Jared have been seriously involved for years now. You both have also discussed marriage and kids for that matter. What would you have to think about?"

She sighed "The way he behaved with you…."

"That is between me and him." I cut her off "It should not affect your relationship. Look as much as I appreciate you taking my side in this, it is not fair to Jared that his equation with me affects you both."

She slowly nodded her head "He told me that your instincts overrule your thoughts when you phase for the first time."

I nodded my head in agreement "Yeah, it is hard to explain what goes on in the head during those few minutes, don't judge him on that"

She was silent for a few minutes "So, you and Paul huh? This changes stuff."

Her expression was confusing, it was somewhere between worry and disgust, a combination I was not very comfortable with, but I decided against picking at it at this moment.

"Yeah, but we are yet to talk about it all." I waved my hand in air, trying to convey to her the lack of surety in it all.

She nodded her head, and after a few minutes of silence added "Hey, do you mind if Jared comes to talk to you? He really wants to apologize."

I gave her a surprised nod, before whispering "Yeah okay. Anything is better than staring at the ceiling."

She gave me a smile, before picking her phone up and calling Jared, for another discussion that would no doubt be revolving around the same thing.

Damn!


	38. You and Me

Thank you MammaNita4, catgrl, .7334, brankel1 and the guest reviewer Twin68 for your reviews. It means a lot.

Hope you like this chapter.

Part IV- Imprint

Chapter 17- You and Me

"Where is he?" I muttered aloud, as I shifted at my place, glancing at the watch for possibly the fifth time in the past ten minutes, only to realize that it hardly been three minutes since I had last checked the time. I guess the saying is true, if you keep staring at the clock it will go much slower than you want it to.

I sighed, as I once again tried calling his phone number, only to get the same message for voicemail. Why he was not picking up his phone was beyond my understanding. He knew that he was supposed to be here fifteen minutes back. The movie was about to begin, and he very well knew how I liked to be settled in my seat before the previews ended.

"Damn it!" I cursed aloud, in annoyance and irritation. I glared at the tickets in my hand, as if there was any fault of theirs in this delay. He was going to have it from me if he turned up after the movie began. This was his idea in the first place.

"Whoa!" I heard a surprised voice call, as I turned in the direction of the voice "Who pissed you off?"

I shrugged at him, a bit of my anger disappearing at his sight "What are you doing here, Paul?"

He gave me a small cheeky smile in return "Assuming we are outside a movie theatre, the options are pretty narrowed down, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes, mumbling an 'ass' at his sarcasm.

"I didn't know you were coming to Port Angeles today." I said, a bit surprised to see him here. "Are you here alone?"

I looked around him to see if he was with anyone, or if anyone was following, but could not see anyone I recognized in the lot of crowd that was standing outside the theatre on a busy Saturday. I crossed my fingers hoping that he would not say that he was here on a date. I really didn't know how I would react to that, if he would indeed say so.

He shrugged "My company seems to have disappeared."

"Tell me about it." I said with a nod of the head.

"So, who were you supposed to be here with?" he asked, as he glanced at the two tickets that were still tightly held in my hand. His voice was tenser than normal, something that caused me a bit of worry, but I decided against bringing it up at the moment.

"Embry" I said with a sigh "I was guilt tripped by him, something about how I don't have enough time for my brother anymore, and how we used to spend time together as kids. He looked so heartbroken that I just couldn't ignore his puppy dog eyes." I said with a brief laugh "So, who are you supposed to be here with?"

"Cherry" he said, with a shake of the head "I too was guilt tripped. She was saying how she is here only for a few more weeks now, and we should go see a movie together, create new memories….." he trailed off, waving his hand in air in his version of saying 'Blah Blah Blah'.

"Oh" I whispered, something about him spending time with Cherry just didn't sit well with me. I know I know it was the green eyed monster rearing its ugly head, but hadn't we done so well with it these past few days? I had almost forgotten of her presence, key word here being almost.

"So, where is she now?" I questioned, a part of me was rejoicing that she had ditched him, however mean that sounded, but another part of me was also upset that Paul was here waiting for someone who was a no-show. He did not deserve to be bailed on, ever.

"She was supposed to meet me here. She had some shopping to be done, so had left La Push early."

I nodded my head in answer "Did you think of calling her?"

He gave me a look of absolute disbelief, almost as if he was calling out on the ridiculousness of my question "Of course. I don't live in the stone ages, you know. I generally, like normal people, tend to call if someone tells me that they will meet me somewhere, but is late to the meeting."

"You are a smart-ass you know that?" I smirked at him, as he laughed back.

"Yeah, I have been told so." "To answer your question though, her phone is constantly coming busy since the past forty minutes. Damn, the woman can surely talk."

I laughed at the expression of mock wonder on his face, before suddenly stopping and blushing when I realized that he had been staring at me, the expression on his face one of awe.

"What" I whispered, looking at the ground in a futile attempt to hide the ridiculous blush that was covering my face.

He shook his head "It is just that you look beautiful when you laugh."

The blush on my face intensified as involuntarily a small smile made its place on my face as I listened to him speak.

He shook his head once again, smiling at me "And, you are doing it again."

"What" I questioned, slightly confused by his words.

"Making my heart melt with your blush" He said with a wink.

My mouth dropped open as my eyes widened. Did Paul Lahote just flirt with me? Or was that just my wishful thinking?

"Umm, I" I started, not really knowing where I was going with this. What do you reply to something like that? You possibly can't just say 'thank you' and be done with it. Sure, I had been on the receiving end of a few flirty lines over the years, but they were never by those who I wanted to be flirted by.

You get my dilemma?

"So, I…" I tried once again. Why can't my brain just work when I want or rather need it to?

'How difficult is it to form a sentence, stupid brain?' I chided myself, internally, before looking at the ground in hope that it would open up and swallow me whole.

Paul chuckled, before changing the topic and saving me from my embarrassment "So, did you try calling Embry?"

I nodded my head, still a bit flushed "It is going to voicemail. He can't drive still, well obviously, so once we reached here, he told me to get the tickets, while he went to meet his 'future girlfriend'." I said with a roll of the eyes, repeating his spoken words with an emphasis on future girlfriend, "Apparently, one of his classmates is here in Port Angeles, out for some shopping in the mall next door, and he just had to see her, the reason for which is beyond my comprehension though. I mean they see each other almost every day in La Push, why does he just 'have' to see her here too?" I raised my eyebrow at the ludicrousness of the situation.

Paul chuckled "We see each other in La Push too, and still we are meeting here out of everywhere."

"Yeah, but this was a coincidence." I whispered, feeling shy all of a sudden as Paul kept staring at me, with something akin adoration in his eyes.

"Freaky coincidence" He said with a nod.

"Yeah" I agreed with him "I mean what is the probability that the both of us end up coming to the same theatre in the same place at the same time, and both of us get bailed on? It is a freaky coincidence."

He nodded his head in agreement, before going quiet for a few minutes, as if thinking of something.

"So" I started, the idea of seeing a movie with Paul budding in my mind. Come on, this had to be fate, right? Why else would we both end up standing in front of a theatre with two movie tickets in my hand?

"So" he said, almost as hesitant as me. It was strange in a way, we had been friends for so long, but add in the revelation of an imprint, and boom we were just two confused people who did not know how to act around one another anymore "So, you have two tickets in hand." He stated, nervously, giving me the idea that he too was thinking of the same thing as me.

I nodded my head, hastily "Yeah, and I really want to see the movie. It is this sci-fi movie I have been waiting for since months."

Well, the last part was a big fat lie. Before today I had never even heard the name of this movie, forget waiting months for it, but I guess for the good of a person, a few lies are acceptable.

"Me too" he said, excitedly, almost giving me the impression that he would have said the same lines even if I would have told him that the movie I was seeing was a classic chick-flick.

In that case, at least we were on the same page, even if neither of us was brave enough to take the first step. I gave out a sigh of relief at that thought.

"So, I have two tickets, and you want to see the same movie as me. So it just doesn't make sense to let one go in waste." I said, crossing my fingers, trying to convince him to say yes through my foolish blabbering attempts.

"I know right" he said, enthusiastically "I totally think we should see this movie together."

"Yeah" I said with a shrug of nonchalance "It is not like this is the first movie we are going to see together." I said, ignoring the small little detail wherein though we had seen movies before together, they had been in a group, never alone, and never in this way which seemed like a date. "And it not like it is a date?" I left my question hanging in mid air.

Please say that it is a date! Please say that it is a date! Please say that it is a date!

A girl can hope, can't she?

"Yeah" he huffed, in a tone that was clearly meant to state the exact opposite of his words "Let's do this."

I nodded my head instantly "Yeah, the movie is just about to begin. We better hurry."

He nodded his head too and followed me inside before either of us could over think on this, both of us unaware that two set of eyes had just seen us go inside, with broad smiles on their faces.

"So, I'll get the popcorn?" he asked, as soon as we had reached the line that led to the counter "It is only fair, you bought the tickets."

I gave him a nod of the head, as he made his way to get popcorn for the both of us, standing in the line that had three people ahead of him. I stood back at the side, waiting for him to come back with the popcorn, and admired the view in front of me. And by admired the view in front of me, I definitely meant that strong arched back of his.

How had I not noticed this before, the way his tight fitting shirt hugged his muscled body, showing his toned back, or the way his perfectly fit jeans were leaving nothing much to imagination, as they covered his perfect ass in a way that made me wish for its disappearance, or the way he ran a hand through his short cropped hair, arching his upper body, and making me sigh out in desperation.

Had he always been this sexy? Or, had I recently become this horny?

"Here you go" said Paul, surprising me as I had not even noticed him leave the counter "Let's go in?"

"Uh huh" I mumbled aimlessly, still too lost in my musings, as he smirked at me in a knowing way before walking towards our theatre number. His face holding the same amused smirk, while mine was beet red from my line of thoughts.

I sighed in relief; at least he couldn't read my mind. Thank God for small mercies!

We quickly entered the theatre, before looking for two empty seats, which wasn't as difficult considering that not many people had opted for the same movie as ours, and another popular romcom had too released recently. We were about to make our way towards the second to last back row when Paul suddenly stopped in his tracks, making me wonder the reason why, and take a look from behind him.

Talk about awkward, as a couple merely a few years older than us was on a full out make out session in the last row seats, with their tongues down one another's throats and their hands trying to pull the other as close as possible, while they also roamed around freely on the other's body.

I mean the theatre was dark, but it wasn't even that dark that nobody would pay attention to them.

"Umm" I flushed red from embarrassment. Seeing a couple make out in a dark theatre was really not that new, but when I was around Paul, and the tension between us was already so high, the sight in front of us was pretty awkward. "Let's sit somewhere else." I pleaded with my eyes.

"Yeah" he readily agreed, as he led me to another row, far away from the making out couple.

We had just sat in our seats when the lights finally dimmed out and the opening credits of the movie started playing, and I tried hard to concentrate on it, which wasn't as easy as it looked with Paul's arm coming to rest at the back of my seat, not directly touching me, but making me simultaneously frown and hope that he would just wrap his arm around my shoulder, and get this tension in the air done with.

He lightly coughed before offering me the popcorn that he held in his hands, and I smiled before taking a lunge full and popping it in my mouth.

The next two hours and five minutes were the longest 125 minutes or 7500 seconds of my life, as I tried watching the movie, while my attention was completely elsewhere, or more appropriately on the person who sat beside me, looking as distracted as me. A few times over the course of the past 125 minutes our hands had bumped into one another when both of us had tried to get a lunge of the popcorn at the same time, with our fingers bumping in the small space of the popcorn tub, but we had just awkwardly smiled at one another before either of us withdrew our hands to let the other take the popcorn out, but I did have a brief suspicion by the fifth time that Paul was doing this purposely, as no two people try to take popcorn out of a tub at the same time, every time.

As the end credits rolled out on the screen, I stretched myself, getting up from my seat, noticing that my shirt had lifted up a bit when I had stretched, and Paul was now staring at my showing waist with something akin lust and want in his eyes, which made me take a breath in as I blushed hard when he looked up and his eyes met mine.

"I didn't know that you had a belly button piercing." He said finally giving me a shocked look, as we walked out of the theatre, our arms swinging close to the other.

I shrugged "I can't wear my piercing rings that often you know, with the shape shifter thing." I lowered my voice to a whisper "It is a miracle that they have not pierced themselves together by now." I said with a slight laugh "But to answer your question, I got them last year on a trip to Seattle with Leah and Kim. Leah wanted a tattoo of Sam's name on her waist and so we had entered this Tattoo and body piercing parlor and feeling slightly rebellious both Kim and I had ended up with belly button and ear piercings." I said with a shy laugh "I have not been phasing as much these days, and found my rings when I was cleaning my closet."

"It makes you look like a sexy rebel." He said lowering his voice to give it a sexy edge as he brought his mouth close to my ear, making my breath hitch in response.

"So, did you like the movie?" he pulled back and changed the topic, giving me the same amused smirk, almost as if he knew how his words were affecting me.

"Umm" I had to think about it for a minute, as I had no idea of what I had just seen on the screen, I was hardly paying any attention to it "It was good."

He nodded his head, as we walked to the main street "It is not that late. Do you want to grab a bite?"

"Sure" I said with a shrug, glad to be spending more time with him.

"So, there is this quaint café nearby, small place, but is known for its burgers and sandwiches. We can go there is you want, or we can go anywhere you want." He said, giving me a hesitant look, almost as if he was scared that I would say no.

I smiled at him "No that would be okay."

He smiled back as he led me to the road that was leading to the café. It was walking distance from the theatre, as Paul had said, and so we walked the short distance to the café, our hands once again craving to just touch the other.

The café that he had chosen was small but homely and had a lively feel to it. Paul led us to one of the square tables in the corner before pulling out the chair for me, letting me sit on it.

"Thank you" I blushed at his gentlemanly gesture as he took the chair opposite mine.

"So, how did you find this place?" I asked, looking at the menu.

He straightened a bit in his seat, his throat tightening in anger "Heard about it from Jared."

"Oh" I whispered

"I heard you spoke with him." he stated, looking at me.

I nodded my head, mumbling a 'yeah'.

His face stared into me, almost as if he was waiting for more details, and I took a sigh before complying.

"He wanted to apologize for fighting with me. Kim had brought him over, and he was quick to do exactly that, apologize for speaking rudely to me and for questioning me on being the alpha. I accepted his apology and his half hearted pleas on how he was running high on instincts on that day and did not mean any of it, but honestly I don't believe a word of what he said. He assured me that he was happy with my leadership and did not want to be the alpha though."

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Paul asked. His voice was heavy and his eyes were boring into mine in a way that meant business.

I quickly shook my head. I was happy that he cared about me, but I did not need to be looked after, or did not need anyone to fight on my behalf "No, that's okay. I will deal with him if he tries to do something in the future."

He nodded his head, not completely happy, but respecting my wishes. The waitress soon came to take our orders and while I ordered a Club Sandwich with a side of salad, Paul went for a hamburger and a glass of coke.

Our food soon arrived, and I took a bite of my sandwich moaning at the taste of it that flooded my mouth.

"This is amazing." I said through a mouthful. I was generally never this manner less to talk with an open mouth full of food, but considering the fact that this was pretty much a food lover's wet dream, I did not feel that bad to do so.

Paul grinned at me, his eyes shining with happiness "I am glad you like it. My burger's also real good. Do you want a bite?"

"Sure" I said, readily, as I opened my mouth and he picked up his burger to get it close to my lips, the action becoming much more intimate than I had expected it to. He brought his hand close to my lips and I quickly took a bite of it, calming my heartbeat that was going a mile a minute from the excitement I was feeling at the moment, as I resisted the urge to kiss and bite on his fingers and see how it would feel.

"So, how is it?" he asked, once I was done with my chewing of the bite.

"Really good" I said with a grin, trying to lighten the awkwardness that had once again risen between the both of us.

"I had a question for you." he said, drinking a sip of his drink.

I nodded my head, giving him the go ahead, as he opened his mouth to ask the question.

"I have heard that shape shifters have to eat more often and more than normal. Why but?"

I resisted the urge to laugh at the innocent curiosity on his face, as I ate a bite of my sandwich before answering "It is true. When we run in our wolf form we use up much more energy than our human body can generally provide, and so we have to eat frequently and more than normal to keep up with it."

He nodded his head, mumbling a 'makes sense'.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about." I started the conversation, after a few minutes of silence. It had been five days since Paul had told me that he knew about the imprint, but still we had not got around to talking about it. The first two days we had never been alone enough to have such an intense conversation, and once I was out of bed rest with the pain in my shoulder lessening to minimal, I was busy attending council meetings updating them of my condition , and talking to them of the fight with the nomadic vampires. There were long talks of strategizing and how we should aim to never be in such a situation again, and so needless to say, between all of that Paul and I had hardly seen each other, or got any quality time to spend with the other.

"Yeah" he said in a hesitant whisper.

"So, you know about the imprint." I said, using all of my courage, deciding to jump directly to the main topic instead of wasting time in going around it.

He nodded his head "Yes, Sam told me that you have imprinted on me, and even though I wish that you would have been the one to tell me, I understand why you did so."

I opened my mouth to interrupt him and give him my reasons for doing said thing, but he quickly stopped me from doing so "Like I said, I understand." "But, I have a question for you."

"Okay" I said, raising my eyebrow "Shoot" I managed to speak out, worried of what he was going to ask about.

He sighed "What does that literal leech Jasper think of this? His 'girlfriend'" he scowled at the word, shaking a bit "has imprinted on another. He would have something to say on this, I assume."

His face was twisted in a scowl as I looked at him in confusion.

"Come again?" I said finally, when I could not hold it in any longer "Why would Jasper have a say on whom I imprint on and…..what do you mean by girlfriend?" I spat the word out, completely confused and shocked by what he had just said.

"You are dating him, aren't you?" he raised an eyebrow at me, in accusation.

"What? No" I shrieked out, in disbelief, jumping slightly in my seat. Luckily for us the café was pretty empty, except a couple in the opposite corner and a waitress behind the counter, and so nobody had witnessed my outburst, or was listening in to our conversation. "Yuck" I cringed out "He is like an uncle to me, or at most a close cousin. I like him, as a person, but I am definitely not dating him." I spread out my words showing the finality in them. "What made you even think so?" I gave him a horrified appalled look.

"You are not dating him?" he questioned, straightening in his seat, almost as if I now held his complete attention.

"Like I said, No" I repeated the words, pressing on it.

"But, she….." he trailed off, in a voice so low that I had trouble listening onto it.

"But what, who" I asked, confused and curious to know how he had got to that ridiculous conclusion that Jasper and I were together.

He shook his head, a newfound excitement and determination on his face "Does not matter. So, you are not with Jasper Cullen?"

I sighed in exasperation "Like I said before, No, and he is Jasper Hale, not Cullen. We are friends. He helped me out during a difficult period of my life, nothing more than that." I clarified for what felt like the hundredth time.

His face broke out in a huge unexpected grin "That's great."

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shrugged and kept smiling, like a child about to open his Christmas presents.

"Wait" I said, after a few minutes. I hated being the party pooper, but this was important "What about Cherry?"

Even though I had heard this enough before, I still needed to know if there were any buried deep feelings there. This was important to me, and I didn't think I would be able to live peacefully if I didn't know the answer to this.

Now it was his time to look confused, as he stared back at me "What about her?"

I took a deep breath in. This was it, my time to ask him the question that could and probably would change my life "Do you like her, or does she like you?"

He gave me a shocked glance, before his expression changed and a deep laugh left his throat, which soon turned into loud guffaws resounding through the room.

"Yeah, I am not at all offended." I stated, sarcastically.

He shook his head, calming down on his laughter "Sorry, but that was a funny picture in the head. To answer your question though, Cherry and I are just friends. Have never been anything more and never will be anything more. I like her, but nothing more than friendship."

"Oh good" I said, relieved, before I could stop myself and think of my next words "I have been so worried and jealous these past weeks….."

I put a hand on my mouth in embarrassment, as I left my sentence hanging. I had definitely not meant to say that out loud. Where was my mouth filter when I needed it?

"Really?" he smirked at me, as I stared at my lap, not daring to even look anywhere near to his face.

"Okay, now that you have confessed, it is only fair that I too confess on this. I have been crazy jealous of that bloodsucker, I mean Jasper" he corrected on seeing my glare, Feelings or not Jasper was still my friend "since I found out that you two were apparently dating."

"Really" I asked in a whisper, not willing to get my hopes high, only for them to crash and fall "Why?"

He shook his head, smiling "I think the answer is pretty clear to that" "It is strange you know," he continued "Before moving back to La Push, I never would have imagined feeling stuff like this, or wanting to spend time with another without any of the 'extra benefits'." He air quoted the words "But with you it is different."

"How" I once again questioned in a whisper, my heart beating much faster than normal.

He shook his head, once again smiling "I will give you the answer to that, if you give me the answer to this. What do you want from the imprint? Do you want me to be your friend, or your acquaintance you see once in a while, or you want me to be…"

"Hold on" I interrupted him, finding my voice once again "I should be asking this question. I have imprinted on you. You get the choice to choose."

"Humor me" he grinned at me "Assume that I have imprinted on you. What would have been your answer?"

I did not even have to think about it. I knew exactly what I wanted. I had known for a while now.

I grasped my hands together, trying to get the courage to speak this out "I" Love "Like you. I want to give this a chance. I want to give us this chance. I want to give myself this chance, if you are willing too."

The smile on his widened as he stared back at me, I was too afraid to ask him anything at the moment. What if this was all only a dream? What if he would say no, that he didn't want the same?

"In that case Ms. Uley, will you do me the honor of coming on a date with me?"

I just kept looking at him for a minute or two. Was this really happening? I could not believe my ears, or my eyes for that matter.

"So?" he gave out a nervous laugh.

I nodded my head in haste "I would like that" A lot.

He just smiled back, and I too nervously laughed with him, relieved but nervous.

Just then a message pinged on my phone. I quickly checked my phone, reading the message from Embry.

'Sorry Sis. Got late in mall. Met Cherry there. She drove me back home. Will see you later'

I rolled my eyes, feigning anger, but no matter what, I just couldn't be angry at the circumstances that led me here.

I looked up once again to meet Paul's eyes, and reciprocated the smile that was wide on his face. I had never seen him smile as much, but neither had I ever been this happy before.

So, I guess it was new beginning for the both of us.

A/N: This story is coming to an end. Only five or six more chapters to go….


	39. Nostalgia

Thank you catgrl, .7334, brankel1, Taffy Marie, MammaNita4, Mistyann thomas and the guest reviewers for your reviews. I hope you like this chapter.

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 1- Nostalgia

"Do you have any idea what the freaking time is?" I mumbled through half open eyes, trying to attempt a glare at the man sitting beside me at this early ungodly hour in an old noise making truck which did nothing to give me a peaceful few minutes of stolen sleep "I don't wake up this early on a Sunday when I am not on patrol duty." I stated "It is a crime to be up this early."

Paul chuckled, shaking his head and ignoring my presence, concentrating on the task in front of him instead.

I took that as my sign to continue though "Where the hell are we going on a date that we have to leave at…." I glanced at my watch, opening my eyes a bit to see the time "5:45 in the morning on a Sunday, I repeat." I muttered in annoyance. Seriously, who started their date at 5:45 am?

He chuckled harder, his eyes wide open concentrating on the road, which in hindsight was a good thing for us, as again he was driving, while I lazily tried to get a few more minutes of stolen sleep, before I was forced to face the day and the bright light that came with it.

"I thought a date was supposed to be about dressing up and applying makeup and going for a fancy dinner or something wherein the boy brings flowers with him and opens the door or pulls the chair for you or stuff like that. I am wearing a pair of jeans and an old Shirt that has seriously seen better days, and it is way too early to apply makeup, or think about putting my tangled mess of a hair in a hairstyle. It is too much of hard work, and I am not prepared for that right out of bed." I said with a groan, honestly believing in the words spoken. At least that was what movies and Books portrayed dates as.

He sighed, though equally amused as before "We have a long day before us, Bella. If we don't get an early start we will not be ending the date before midnight, and I really don't think your mother will appreciate that, much."

"As pleasing as that sounds, where are we going on this 'special date'?" I asked, curiously.

He just shook his head, with a firm look tightly placed on his face "It is a surprise."

"I hate surprises." I muttered, without skipping a beat. I was not intentionally trying to be rude, but really it was way too early to think about mouth filters and safe conversational topics. Also, to make things oh so wonderful, I had not been able to sleep the entire night. I had laid awake the entire night in excitement, trepidation, anxiety and worry of how things would go today, and so yeah, sleeplessness and I did not go very well together. Add to that the butterflies in my stomach, and yeah, I was a walking talking mess.

My rudeness though did nothing to hamper his mood, as he only laughed harder before mumbling that 'By the end of the night, my opinion was sure to change.'

Yeah, we will see about that.

I shut my eyes, involuntarily, for a few more minutes, before Paul's voice resounded through the truck "Wake up sleepyhead."

I grumbled for a second or two, before opening my eyes and taking in the familiar sight that was surrounding me.

"First Beach" I questioned, mildly disappointed. It was not like I did not like the beach. I had literally grown up here, so this was more like a home away from home, but for a date, I had expected more.

I tried to hide my disappointment; maybe I was being unfair, as Paul definitely had put some thought in this. Even if it was only first beach, I loved coming here, and it was pretty windy and nice. Maybe this had been his idea in the first place. He knew how much I loved it here.

"Do you trust me?" he turned to look at me, his face serious but calm.

I nodded my head instantly, not even needing a minute to think about it. I did trust him and whatever and however he had chosen for our day to go. I was sure to enjoy in his company, and wasn't that was mattered after all on any date- Good company.

"Good" he gave me a relieved nod "Then just trust me on this."

I nodded my head once again, rubbing my hands over my face, wakening me up to the full, before retying my messy bun into a neat presentable ponytail.

"Come on, it's time to get out of here." he said, before walking to my side of the truck and opening the door for me, giving me a hand in jumping out of the truck.

"See, I can also do the car opening or in this case truck door opening thing, no matter what the time of the day is." He teased, pointing to my earlier rant. I just rolled my eyes at him in response.

"Are we going to be walking on the beach?" I asked, not really worried about the cold as such for myself, but I knew that it was windy outside and spending a lot of time out here could not be good for Paul. He was still human, and I had to remember that.

He shrugged "Not for a long while."

I nodded my head, taking the answer in, as we started walking side by side over the cool sand, the moonlit sky, soon to disappear and make way for the sun, a witness to the beginning of our date.

"Do you know this was where we met for the first name?" Paul said, a few minutes into our walk.

"Really" I asked, surprised.

"You don't remember?" he asked, his voice holding genuine curiosity.

I shook my head "Not much. I remember a few moments, but nothing too definite. I have brief memories of our childhood together, but nothing that I can guarantee over."

"You were five and I was six." He smiled, as if reminiscing those moments "You were this brave little girl, willing to fight with me for the sake of her brother who she felt was being mistreated."

"Oh, Please" I said with a laugh "Knowing you, he was probably actually being mistreated."

He gave a look filled with mock shock and disbelief "I cannot believe you think so little of me. I am deeply wounded by your words."

"Shut up!" I laughed, as I hit him on his arm lightly "So, now that you mention it, I remember a bit of it. You and Jared were playing…."

"Monkey in the middle" he completed my sentence "And, Jacob was trying to take the ball from us. Embry had come running to you for help, and Quil being the idiot that he still is, was chasing a hermit crab across the sand not bothering who did what around."

"Hmm" I gave him a contemplative glance "And, let's make a blind assumption here and say that you were not giving the ball to Jacob, taking advantage of your age and size."

He chuckled, teasingly "Oh, how well do you know me!"

I playfully hit him on the arm again, mumbling 'smart-ass'.

"He was three years younger than you, a baby." I said disbelievingly.

He just shrugged his shoulders "He wanted to play with us. He wanted to feel like a 'grown up', as if a six year can be called a grown up, but you get the point. We were just helping him." he said with a determined nod.

"Oh, sure you were." I said sarcastically "I remember you had called me Isabella, and when I had corrected you and told you to call me Bella, you had very rudely said 'Like I care'."

"Yeah" he grinned, shaking his head "I did not prefer to make friends and keep people close. It was a sort of reflex to be rude."

"But, I soon became an exception." I pointed out.

"Yeah" he said, adding in a whisper "You were and are"

"Harry had arrived then, saving you." I added, with a smile on my face.

He gave out a short sarcastic laugh, as if saying 'Yeah right!'

"I would hardly call that saving, not like I needed to be saved in any form."

"You have not seen my wrath. It could have been fatal for you" I said, raising an eyebrow, the smirk on my face firmly placed.

"Yeah?" he said, raising his eyebrow in return "In that case, I know how to handle your wrath."

"And, how would that be?" I questioned.

"Like this" he said, before his freakishly long fingers started tickling me, making me laugh and cry out, simultaneously. Very few people were aware of how ticklish I actually was, and I had made sure to keep it so. Paul was one of the few who unfortunately knew of this secret of mine.

"Okay, stop" I pleaded, after a few torturous seconds "I call truce" I shouted, my laughter out of control.

"That's better." he grinned making me roll my eyes at him.

"One day mister, I am going to find your weakness." I threatened, trying to look as threatening as possible.

"I am so scared" he shuddered, before smirking and grinning once again.

I rolled my eyes at him, trying to once again remember that particular day of my childhood "Harry had called us for a game- Steal the bacon, was it?"

He nodded his head "Yeah, we were in opposite teams, and I had won." He clearly gloated.

"You cheated!" I exclaimed "Anyone can win by cheating."

"What is the proof that I cheated?" he raised an eyebrow "I think that the grapes are just sour."

I gave him an open- mouthed stare "Oh, please! I can defeat you in this any day."

"Are you sure?" he questioned.

"Of course" I stated, looking into his eyes sharply to show him how much I meant what I had said.

"In that case, let's have a rematch." He stated, crossing his arms together "Are you afraid?" he teased, when I did not answer for a minute.

"In your dreams" I said with a nod and a smile "Get ready to lose."

He just chuckled louder "We will see."

I smiled back, as he brought a spare shoe from his truck, making me believe that this entire setup was in fact planned, before he roughly placed it on the sand, equidistant from the both of us.

"Ready" he smirked, facing me.

"As ready as I can be." I said, simply, confidence seeping through my voice.

"On the count of three then" He said "Three, two, one…."

My ears hardly heard the end of that sentence as I ran towards where the shoe was, the only thing on my mind being to pick it up.

It was not as easy though, as Paul clearly had other plans, and refused to let me win that easily. We circled the other for a good few minutes, neither of us ready to back down. Each of us would several times make the action of picking up the shoe, but never did so in actuality, only tempting the other to act and get caught in the act.

After a few minutes of this 'circling around', I had an idea that made my eyes sparkle and a smile spread on my face.

I quickly unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt, giving him a pretty good view of my cleavage. I was not big by any means in that department, but I had enough to speak of.

I know it was evil. I know it was mean, but the way his eyes kept focusing on my girls as I crouched lower, made everything worth it. We were on a date after all, and I was glad and a bit boastful to see such a reaction.

He looked shocked. He looked surprised. He looked numb, and most of all, he looked completely lost and powerless.

I quickly took advantage of this distraction by picking up the shoe and quickly running back to my side of the beach.

"I won" I jumped at my place in happiness, lifting the shoe higher for him to see.

"You cheated" he frowned, pouting.

"There is absolutely no proof of that." I scoffed, repeating his same words at him, buttoning my shirt again to how it was before. "Oh wait, what had you said," I made the action of thinking hard "Winners focus on winning and losers focus on the winner."

I stuck out my tongue at him, playfully as he chuckled and shook his head, his eyes raking over my body as I freely laughed, as if admiring me.

I blushed, looking at the sand beneath my toes, as he laughed but thankfully changed the topic "Let's get out of here. Our second destination is waiting for us."

"Where are we going now?" I asked, confused, as we walked back to the truck, stopping briefly to observe the beautiful sunrise that was just occurring. Seriously, the Beach was the best and most beautiful place to be when the sun rose. It was a beautiful morning to a perfect day, and I could not have possibly asked for a better start than this.

"It is a surprise" he grinned, as we sat in the truck and wore our seatbelts, and he started to drive to our next destination.

"Like I said, I hate surprises." I frowned, adjusting the music system in the truck to play a track that I liked.

He lightly pushing my hand away from the music system "I drive I choose the music."

"Please" I pouted, pushing my lower lip out, in a classic trick that I had heard from others always worked.

He sighed audibly, shaking his head and finally relenting "Fine"

I smiled, before adjusting the music track in the truck, and sitting back on my seat.

"Oh, before I forget. There is something for you here." he said, giving me a box of donuts and a travel sized cup of coffee.

"Couldn't you have given me this before?" I frowned, immediately sipping onto my coffee and taking a sigh of relief when I felt it reach my throat.

Seriously, there is nothing better than a strong cup of coffee to completely wake me up in the morning.

He chuckled "What would be the fun in that, huh? I quite enjoyed your grumbles and tantrums." He playfully smirked.

"Ass" I muttered, as I turned to look outside the window, at the scenery passing by, munching on my doughnut.

"Do you want some?" I offered, turning to look at him.

He just shrugged "I am not that hungry. I will eat something later."

I nodded my head, once again going back to looking outside the window, and smiling when I felt the cold wind caress my face through the rolled down window.

"How could you enjoy that?" Paul asked, curiously.

"What" I questioned confused. What was he asking about?

"The cold wind on your face, Isn't it annoying?" he clarified.

"On the contrary, it is relaxing." I said with a small smile "It feels like all your troubles and worries have disappeared, temporarily maybe, but still disappeared. It is soothing."

He gave me a look of disbelief, but did not say anything else. We sat in silence for a while, humming to the tunes playing, as I felt our destination get nearer and nearer.

"We are going to Seattle?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded his head "Our next destination is in Seattle."

I gave him a curious stare, but instead of pestering him ahead, decided to just wait and watch. Like I said before, Paul had definitely put a lot of thought into this.

"Woodland Park Zoo" I gave him a half amused half surprised look as Paul parked his truck in the Parking lot of the Zoo "Aren't we too old to go to the zoo?"

He gave me a horrified look, as if shocked by my words "Never. A person of any age can visit and enjoy the zoo, and, don't you think it is slightly judgmental with you being part animal?"

I rolled my eyes at him, jumping out of the truck and following him to the luckily not as long queue, before entering the zoo, with a map in my hands.

"Which exhibit do you want to see first?" Paul asked, coming close to me to see the map, making my heartbeat go nearly out of control from the intimacy that we were sharing, even if it was unintentional.

"Umm, Giraffe" I said, speaking of the first animal that had popped up in my mushy brain.

"Your wish is my command" he grinned, making me blush once again, before we walked towards the Giraffe exhibit.

We admired the still equally fascinating Giraffes before heading towards the Snow leopard, Monkey, Hippopotamus and Porcupine exhibits.

It honestly felt good to be a child again, excited to see animals.

We took ample of pictures, posing in front of glass, as the animals looked at us like we were another set of crazy tourists, like the thousands that had come before us.

"Where to next" Paul asked, staring into the map in his hand, once we were done with all the basic exhibits.

"Wolf" I grinned at him, giving him my best 'isn't it obvious' look.

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head, as we walked towards the literal wolf pack.

They were not as huge as I had expected them to be. Well obviously knowing that we as shape shifters were much bigger than them, but still they were admirable in their own way as they howled and barked, and stood on their mighty paws.

The strangest thing was though when all the wolves behind the glass, suddenly stopped what they were doing and came as close as possible to the glass, all of them simultaneously taking on a submissive posture, as they stared at us, or rather at me.

"Wow! What is that?" Paul asked, shock evident in his voice.

"They can probably sense the Alpha in me. They can feel the power and are bowing down to it." I guessed.

"Wow" he said in amusement "I need to take a photo of this. After all it is not every day that you see something this astonishing yet equally absurd."

He quickly took a picture of all the wolves simultaneously in their submissive posture, before glancing at it for a few minutes in amusement and disbelief.

I just shook my head and smiled at his childlike enthusiasm.

We soon made our way to the souvenir shop once we were done fulfilling our fantasy of being children for the day, and bought a few plush toys, playfully teasing one another and laughing with no care of the world around. While Paul bought me a lion from the shop, with the explanation of how I was the king of the Jungle being the alpha of my pack and held the power of leadership, I bought him an Elephant plush toy in return. The Elephant was said to be a symbol of good luck in certain cultures, and so I felt it appropriate.

We were about to exit the shop when suddenly Paul stopped, telling me to wait outside while he just needed a minute to buy something that he had forgotten. I nodded my head as I walked outside the door.

"This is for you." said Paul coming to where I was standing, a few minutes later, handing me a miniature wolf toy, which coincidentally had the same fur as mine- White.

"How did you know?" I asked, curiously, trying to find out of how he knew of my fur color. Had Sam told him?

He shrugged "Don't you remember, you had come in front of me in the woods, and quite possessively I must say, had refused to let me leave your sight." He laughed.

I blushed, cursing myself for being so quick to blush "That was the night I imprinted on you."

"Yeah?" he whispered "What was it like?"

We started walking back to the truck as I thought of how to answer that question.

"It was….. surreal" I said, slowly, thinking of the right word to explain what I had felt when I had imprinted, all those months back. "It is difficult to explain. The world around you just stops for that one minute, making you focus your entire attention on the person in front of you, and then when that metaphorical clock that has stopped for that brief minute starts working again, you realize that the world you once knew is no longer the same." I blushed, looking at the ground "I know it sounds corny but….."

"No" he interrupted me "It sounds magical, almost as if something like this… this connection is out of this world, like how could something this permanent exist in a world where feelings and relationships change every day."

I nodded my head "I know. That is probably why it is said to be a gift for the shape shifter."

He made an 'hmm' like sound, nodding his head, as we sat in the truck and he once again started driving.

"IHOP?" he turned to look at me.

I nodded my head, as he drove to the nearby IHOP in silence. The silence between us though, was comfortable instead of awkward.

We quickly sat into our seats after entering the famous chain of diners, before ordering a plate of Bacon and eggs for me and a stack of pancakes for Paul.

"So, tell me something?" started Paul, taking a bite of his pancakes "I used to feel this pull, even before I moved to La Push, which only intensified once I moved here and…."

"Yeah" I nodded my head in agreement, not as surprised as I should have been, considering I too had felt a similar pull "That was the power of the imprint. I too could feel a pull to you."

"But it has lessened since then?" he gave me a confused look.

I nodded my head "Probably because we see each other so often now that the pull has become tolerable."

He nodded his head as he went back to eating his breakfast.

"I guess that I am also going to be phasing soon." He said, after a few minutes of comfortable silence. His tone was one of acceptance instead of being questioning or accusing.

I sighed, deciding to be honest about this. There was no point in beating around the bush when he already knew and possibly had accepted the possibility of it.

"You will" I stated, calmly "I don't know if I should say sorry or not, but as my wolf has imprinted on you, or rather your wolf, your dormant lying wolf which exists in you because of having that particular wolf gene will be forced to come out. There will always be the possibility that it would have come out either way, but this just makes it more permanent."

He shook his head lightly "No reason for you to say sorry. What is meant to happen will happen, and it is not like I have any regrets."

"You don't?" I whispered, hoping and praying to whoever was listening onto my prayers that I had heard correctly and Paul meant what he had just said.

He gave me a small smile that made my insides melt from the happiness that it held "No" "You?"

I could hear the worry in his voice, and I instantly shook my head, knowing that my answer was one I didn't have to think about "No, no regrets."

His face broke into a huge smile as his eyes met mine, and I too reciprocated the same smile as his, an unknown burden lifted from my mind and heart.

No other words needed to be spoken, the both of us sat in perfect silence gazing at the other, relief and happiness permeating the air.

Once we were done with breakfast we once again sat in the truck to leave for wherever we were supposed to go next.

"Are we driving back to La Push?" I asked, a few minutes into the drive. It was not late by any means, but we would have a long drive in front of us to reach back.

He shook his head, not divulging anything more than that.

I nodded my head, turning to once again look back outside the window, knowing that I would not be getting any answer from him that would ruin his surprise.

We played a quick game of I spy to pass the time and soon we were parking in front of another familiar place that I recognized.

"A bowling alley" I raised my eyebrow in surprise. This was the same bowling alley where I had celebrated my twelfth birthday, in a carefully planned surprise by my family.

"Wait," I took a minute to correctly frame my thoughts, a doubt forming at the back of my mind "First beach, the zoo, now this bowling alley…. these are all the places that we….."

"That we visited together." he finished my unspoken sentence.

"Wow" I whispered in surprise, not knowing how to react to this information.

"Bella," he turned to look at me and put his hand ahead, silently asking my permission to take my hand in his, which I readily granted. He squeezed my hand, both of us well aware of the sparks our intertwined hands were causing in our bodies "We have shared a lot over the years, some good memories, some not as good, for our first date I thought that maybe we could start by revisiting the good and important parts of our shared past. I know that I could have planned something different, something that would form new memories and I thought a lot about it, but….."

I interrupted him, shaking my head "It is perfect. We are adding new memories to the old ones." "Now, let's go in." I pointed towards the building that held the bowling alley, an excited smile set firmly on my face."

He nodded his head, taking my hand in his as soon as we left the truck, and we walked hand in hand, adding new memories to our once formed old ones.

The bowling alley was pretty much the same, despite of the years that has passed by since we last visited, and we quickly got ourselves involved in a round of bowling, taking our turns in throwing the ball in the narrow bowling lane, trying to hit the bowling pins, while we shouted and cheered in the spirit of the game.

Very soon though, it was time to leave and grabbing burgers to eat on the way, the both of us left the bowling alley. I was exhausted for sure, but to be honest, this had possibly been the best day of my life till date.

I had known Paul as a person all these years. He was caring and genuine, maybe slightly corky with that smirk of his, but with a good heart. I had known Paul as a friend all these years. Yes, he had made mistakes, but who didn't make those, and now, I had got to witness Paul as more than a friend, the side of his which held my hand and squeezed it tightly while we walked together or looked at me with hunger filled eyes, and I didn't know how I had been able to live without this…. without him in my life before.

I wanted to give a name to whatever we shared between us. Yes, I was the imprinter and he was the imprint, but it was not enough. I needed that tag of boyfriend and girlfriend that society had formed, but I didn't know how to raise the topic. What if Paul was not ready to give it a name? It seemed like a simple enough question but still I was scared to pick it up. What if it ruined all the progress that we had made today?

"Hey, you okay?" asked Paul, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I nodded my head, giving him a small comfort filled smile, before leaning back on the window and closing my eyes. We would have to talk about it later, but for now, I wanted to enjoy today, with no worries of tomorrow.

"Wake up" whispered a voice close to my ear, jerking me up from my sleep. I had not even realized when I had fallen asleep.

"Where are we?" I asked, rubbing my eyes, still not completely out of my sleep, as Paul once again settled in his seat.

"The tide pools."

"Oh" I whispered "Let me guess- another place that we once visited." I playfully asked.

He gave me a smirk "Yup, the day we had gone fishing with the oldies and decided to sneak out. I had just found these tide pools a few weeks back."

"Wow" I whispered, surprised "I wish I could remember it."

"Well I do" he said as we got out of the truck "But if you want, I can tell you what we did that day."

I nodded my head eagerly, as he took my hand in his and started walking towards the tide pools.

"Billy, Harry and Quil the fourth had taken us fishing but you were bored out of your mind, and so when I offered a way to sneak out without being caught, you had readily agreed. We had walked the long way here with you groaning and grunting….."

"Hey!" I interrupted him, pouting on the 'groaning and grunting' in his sentence, but he just shrugged, as if telling me that the truth is the truth.

"And then," he continued "When we had finally reached here, you had been fascinated with the this same marine life." he said pointing the tide pool we were now standing in front of as I kneeled down to get a closer look at them.

"They are beautiful." I whispered, admiring their beauty. Even though I had seen them many times over the years, every time still felt like the first.

"That is a sea anemone." said Paul, pointing in the pool "And that is a Periwinkle, and you obviously know the starfishes and crabs…. And oh, those are the mussels."

"How do you know so much about marine life?" I asked as we sat on a piece of driftwood overlooking the beach, once we were done seeing the tide pools.

He shrugged "Good memory, maybe."

I nodded my head as we both sat holding hands, the gesture so normal and calming, that neither of us even realized that we had been doing it, as we looked ahead at the setting sun that was just turning into a pale orange.

"Thank you for today. I loved it." I said, after a while of perfect content silence. The moonlight was upon us, and very soon I would have to go back home, back to normal life and monotonous routine.

He smiled, turning to look at me, before leaning ahead, the air between us thick with anticipation and need. My eyes kept drifting to his perfect lips and I licked my lips in need, a gesture which made a groan leave his mouth.

"I can't wait any longer." He said, once again staring at my lips "I have wanted to do this since days."

"Don't. I want this as much as you."

The last word had hardly left my mouth when his soft lips were meeting mine in a mixture of want, need and lust. I wrapped my hands in his hair as he pulled me closer to him, almost as if the distance was just not bearable any longer. His tongue ran over my top lip, begging for entrance, which was readily granted as I parted my lips, letting his sweet taste possess me. His hands on my hips grew tighter as we let ourselves lose in the pleasure of being with the other.

When finally the need for air became a necessity we pulled back, a huge smile on both of our faces.

"Can I see you again?" he asked.

"I would really really like that." I said with a blush, as I leaned forward again, almost as if I could not bear to not be connected to him any longer. He smiled before meeting me half way, his eyes telling me that he felt the same.

The light of the moon falling over the ocean stood a witness to the beginning of our story, the first page of the first chapter of our forever now ready to be written.


	40. The vision

Thank you brankel1, .7334, catgrl and MammaNita4 for your reviews.

So, I am generally not much of an Alice fan, but I felt that as it is her vision that we see, it would be appropriate to use her point of view. Hope you like it and please review if you do. Every writer loves reviews, and they are very motivating. So, please do. It will hardly take you more than a few seconds.

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 2- The Vision

Alice POV-

I hummed to myself as I lay on the bed in my room, sifting through my collection of nail polish and checking my visions to see which color would suit me best- Neoprene pink or Poppy red. I smiled in glee and almost clapped my hands in joy when my vision showed me the sight of my perfectly manicured nails coated with a perfectly applied coat of Neoprene pink as I read through the latest copy of Vogue and made plans of going to Paris for the weekend with Rosalie in the living room of our house.

Paris…hmm, I smiled to myself. I couldn't wait to tell Rose of our weekend plans. I was in desperate need of a new wardrobe anyways, and I knew that Emmett too would need new clothes as he ended up tearing most of them while fighting bears and Rose and Esme were anyways always up for new clothes and shoes and accessories and make up and….. Oh the possibilities! How wonderful would my closet look by the end of it!

I was extremely close to actually start jumping up and down as the excitement filled through me. I could hear Edward chuckling, reading my mind as he sat playing the piano, but I could not help it. Shopping was my guilty pleasure, and I was just glad that Carlisle liked to treat us like pampered teenagers instead of his coven mates, or I would have been doomed. Yeah, going to school decade after decade really did nothing to add to our bank accounts. Sure, I helped our family get the stocks which would rise and prove beneficial through my visions, but even more than that Carlisle was a genius when it came to investments and how to make money double in a short while. I was not sure how the man did it, but I guess after living for so long you sure do pick up a few tricks and it also definitely helped that he was a successful doctor. In our family that was how it was. All of us had separate duties that we had to fulfill. Carlisle looked after the monetary aspect and made sure that we always had our black credit cards on us and the bills of that were always paid on time, each time. Esme was our mother for all intents and purposes and made sure that we never missed our mother and even pampered us a bit too much in the process, convincing Carlisle when we made absolute ridiculous extravagant demands like my Porsche or when Rose had convinced Esme that she just needed a Hermes Birkin bag to complete her look of a pink cocktail dress and a pair of Christian Louboutin when she went out on a date with Emmett. Luckily Carlisle cannot refuse Esme anything, or like I said before I would have been doomed. So, coming back to the topic, Carlisle looks after the monetary aspect and Esme dotes on us and makes sure that we never miss the love of a mother, Edward, my Edward, makes sure that no one suspects anything and that our cover is still in place, by reading the minds of everyone around. Emmett is the goofball of our house, but he too makes sure that our technology is in place, and we have all the latest technology required to remain and make an impression in the human world. It just wouldn't do if we did not adapt to the latest technology and gadgets while trying to act like teenagers who in today's world are obsessed with said technology. Luckily we have Emmett for that, or I don't know what would have happened of us. Edward would much rather prefer to play the piano than be on that app… what is the name? Facebook, I guess….., and Jasper, he is always reading whenever he has a free minute to. He is least interested in 'trying to act human', but he knows how important this façade is for Carlisle to be able to practice medicine without anybody suspecting anything, and yeah, Jas is also our legal person who makes sure that we have all the correct identification in place, so that we can move to a new place with a new name and identity easily. Moving to Forks we had chosen Carlisle's surname 'Cullen' for our surname as that was what they had used the last time they were here and they needed to keep the same name according to the treaty signed, but plans were so that the next time we moved, we were either going to be the McCarty's or the Platt's.

Hmm…., Alice Mary McCarty? Or Alice Mary Platt?

I would have to think about it, for sure before we once again had to move to a new place, with a new name, hopefully soon. I was already tired of living in Forks. There was nothing interesting to do around here. I had to travel hours if I just wanted to shop for a new dress or a pair of shoes. Sigh!

Except Whitlock which was Jasper's human surname, the rest of our human surnames were used every time we moved to a new place every few years. At times we were the Masens or the Brandons or the Hales. We could never use Whitlock ever as Jasper's that moron of a brother Peter too shared the surname Whitlock and years back when Jasper had just joined our family, Peter had very clearly told Carlisle on a visit, very rudely I repeat, that he was not comfortable with 'the golden eyed freaks sharing his surname and so he would appreciate if we kept away from his surname.'

Huff! As if we were the freaks! We were trying to maintain our humanity here, unlike him!

I had wanted to protest to that absurdity of a demand, but Jasper had just said that we should respect his brother's wishes as he had this surname before us, and Carlisle had agreed with Jasper on that, much to my annoyance and displeasure.

I rolled my eyes as I thought back to that day. How annoyed had I been, but coming once again back to the topic. Sigh! I tend to digress a lot…., Rosalie's job in the family was to keep the crowds away, however mean that sounded. Her icy queen image made a person think twice before they came close to us, and risked getting to know our secret. People were wary of the rest of us, but they were outright terrified of Rose, and at times that fear worked in our favor when we did not need someone getting too close to us and getting to know our secrets, and my job in this family was to shop and make sure that everyone looked perfect and beautiful in the family.

Can I just say that I loved the job that Carlisle had thought suitable for me?

I looked down at my now coated nails, noticing that they were looking as gorgeous as I had expected them to.

Perfect!

"Alice sweetie, could you come here for a minute?" Esme's soft voice came through the living room downstairs. I checked my vision quickly to see what work she had, and smiled when I realized that she wanted to discuss buying a new armchair that she had seen online a while back. She wanted to know if it would look good in Carlisle's study. While Carlisle worked through his medical journals when he was not in the hospital, often Esme would sit opposite him and read her magazines or just surf the internet for the latest designs and so she wanted to know if this armchair that she had selected would complement the already existing décor of the room.

Hmm, I checked my vision to see Carlisle's future of the next few days and realized that it would be perfect for the corner she had in mind.

Have I mentioned I love my visions?

"Coming, Esme" I whispered, knowing how particular she was of us all talking softly and what she considered ladylike, and obviously she would be able to hear me either way.

I got up from the bed, running a hand through my short black hair, wishing for the umpteenth time that we could our grow hair again after we were changed. I at times hated how short my hair was, but at least it was longer than it had been when I was human. When I had been human, living in the asylum, my hair had been shaved close to the scalp due to the typhoid outbreak and it just never got the time to grow back. Luckily it grew a few inches during my change. But I guess it could be worse. Charlotte, that idiotic Peter's wife, had been blessed with long voluptuous hair in her human life, that had only become prettier after her change, but soon after leaving Maria's camp she had got it chopped into a pixie cut, as she wanted a change and was tired of having long hair for all of eternity.

Phew! People really don't know the value of what they have. Luckily for me, Edward thinks that my look suits me. He often says that it gives me the cute, adorable vibe.

I started walking towards the door of the room, skipping out in my usual exuberance when I felt the blurring that usually came when I saw a new vision. I stopped suddenly, my eyes gazing over nothing as the vision played out in my head, the intensity of it such that I fell down to my knees in pain, wishing for it to end.

"_You stupid human, stand up" growled a voice, menacingly, coming in the sight of my vision. It was one of the Volturi witch twins, the female one, I recognized. Her Volturi necklace with the 'V' written crest and her pitch black robe laid a confirmation to that. Her deep red eyes were focusing on something, or rather someone, as an evil smirk appeared on her face, soon turning into a sardonic grin. _

"_Please! Please in the name of God let us go!" pleaded another voice, a woman or rather a girl yet, no older than fifteen was begging to the female witch twin, tears falling down her eyes as she hit at the doors of the human sized cage she was trapped in. "Please, let me go. My parents must be worried for me."_

_The vampire smirked. She was having way too much fun in this, trapping humans in a cage, acting like they were captured animals at the mercy of the one who held the key to their cage. _

"_Let you go?" she laughed, "You stupid, stupid humans. You have no sense, do you? You are our pets now, and we don't let our pets roam around freely."_

"_Please!" the girl pleaded again. Her green eyes begging for mercy, as her long hair fell to her waist, covering her face in the process "Why are you doing this to us?"_

_The female vampire laughed; her laugh even more maniacal than usual "Because you are a human, a stupid plaything for us. We can treat you and play with you however we want. We are a predator and that is how predators live and rule." She sneered, in a tone that said that she truly believed in every word that had just left her mouth._

"_You are crazy" shouted another voice, the owner of this one another female, of no more than twenty years of age. She too was locked in the massive human sized cage, which on observation seemed to be under the Volturi Castle, in the dungeons. _

_This girl was fiery and bold, and more importantly unafraid to speak her mind. Her shoulder length golden hair was pushed behind her ears as she stared at the vampire, looking right into her eyes, giving her the unsaid gesture of 'I am not afraid of you.'_

"_You!?" growled the vampire, taking a step ahead and roughly shaking the cage, making it move and the girls inside cry out in terror. _

_I tried to count the people, all young girls, who were held prisoner in the cage. There were around twelve different blurred figures that I could make out, maybe more, or hopefully less. _

"_Jane" said an equally evil voice, a threat clear in the tone, as a huge vampire, bigger than Emmett, entered my vision. _

"_Felix" said the one named Jane, once again looking as bored as possible. "Why are you here? I thought I was the one on guard duty."_

_She did not like to be disturbed, and she did not like to be questioned or interrupted. The masters knew this well and so her missions were generally always alone. _

"_The masters have taken their decision." Said Felix, his tone depicting the finality it held. _

_Jane raised her eyebrow, the only indication that she was even listening into the conversation. _

_Felix sighed, shaking his head "Master Aro is going to read their minds tonight and see if they hold a power, however small or useless it may be in their human life. If they do, then they are to be changed and trained as soon as possible, and if not…., I am pretty hungry at the moment." He smirked, sneering at the human who stood closest to the cage, as she immediately ran to the back, in fear._

"_You are sick." Shouted the same blonde girl as before, taking a step in front of the other cowered prisoners "How can you kidnap us from our homes and keep us locked here. You will pay for this!"_

"_Shh little girl" Felix whispered, lowering his voice to make it sound as threatening and maniacal as possible "Don't bite more than you can chew. This is not a place to be the leader, it won't take me more than two seconds to break this cage and make a snack out of you. Now, don't tempt me. Like I said, I am very hungry."_

_The human girl stood at her place, her eyes widening and her heartbeat quickening the only indication that she was terrified by Felix's words. Unfortunately for her, her captor knew exactly how much his words had affected her. _

_Felix grinned "I hope you don't die. It will be fun to have you around. It gets pretty boring here you know, with this ice queen glaring and growling at everyone who even comes in her sight and the others too chicken to do anything with the fear of the masters disapproving. We need some entertainment here."_

"_Felix leave" said Jane in a tone that spoke volumes of her annoyance and frustration at having Felix around. _

_Felix rolled his eyes, but left the dungeons and my vision. _

"_What are you?" asked the human girl, fear prevalent in her voice "Why have you locked us here?"_

_Jane chuckled, shaking her head "What we are, is least of your concerns. Just know that we are your death, either way, and…." She made the mock action of thinking hard "because I am feeling so good today, I will tell you why you are here. The masters need new strong powers in the guard. Of course, no one will and can be as powerful as me, but there are rumors that a newborn extremely powerful telekinetic is roaming around in Malta. The coven that is protecting him is strong and will not let him be taken, and the masters are worried that if they try to get him by force, it will end up in a fight, and the coven that is protecting him is filled with shields, who can block most of our powers, and so you all have been brought in. If either of you turn out to have a power that can be used, good or bad for you, really I don't care."_

"_You are sick" whispered the human under her breath, full of disbelief and disgust. _

"_Now, what did you just say?" Jane glared at the human, sizing her up and down, before deciding that she did not need trouble from the masters. These human pets would soon be taken care of, and the problem would resolve its own. There was no need for her to get her hands dirty, and risk the anger of the masters. Smirking one last time, she walked back towards the door of the underground prison that led to the castle, leaving the poor human girls locked in those unbreakable cages, as they cuddled close to one another, whispering and questioning what they had done to deserve this in life. Their only mistake had been to agree on a tour to see a Castle, centuries old. _

"Alice" said Edward, cuddling me closer to him, as I came back to reality, with my vision ending.

"Edward, those girls…." I whispered, leaning into his warm embrace. Being an unchanging vampire, I had never been this…. this disturbed by a vision. I did not even want to accept the implication of what I had just seen. It was too much to bear.

"Shh" he cuddled me close to him "We need to tell the family." Edward soothingly whispered "Aro has gone too far in his craze for power."

I nodded my head, sighing. Even talking about this was going to be bad, something I was definitely not looking forward to.

"We need to help them, Edward." I whispered, knowing that this was the correct thing to do. Being forced into this life was not something desirable, and our entire family was a proof of that. Probably neither of us would have chosen this life if someone would have given us that option, and being held captive and pulled into this world for a power you could hold, was even worse. It instantly reminded me of Jasper and his birth into this world. He had been so depressed and suicidal when I had seen him in that diner in Philadelphia. I knew that my destination was with the Cullens, where I would meet my mate- Edward, but my visions had told me that I had one stop to make and one person to rescue before I walked towards my destination. I had been confused at first, but had soon realized that Jasper needed to be saved. He would have found a way to kill himself if I had not met him that night. My purpose in his life was to bring him here, show him that destruction and killing was not the only way to live. At times I could see that he was lonely, that he was feeling low, but I wish that I could see his mate. I had tried several times over the years, but all I could see was blank space, making me believe that she was either a shield or a human yet to be born. The last time I had tried to see his future mate had been nearly two decades back when we had been living in Boston, and when I had still not been able to see anything, Jasper had been heartbroken, stating that he was probably meant to be alone for eternity, and had made me promise that I would not deliberately see into his future. He did not want to know, for the fear that the news would be disappointing.

Edward kissed my forehead lightly, bringing me back to the present "We will do our best, I promise you."

I nodded my head, accepting his assurances, before he took my hand in his and pulled me up from the floor, leading me towards our dining room, where coincidentally all the family meetings occurred. We did not need to eat, and so originally the dinner table had been bought for appearance sake, but we had soon realized that having family meetings there were much more convenient and formal, in comparison to having them in the living room with Emmett goofing around or in Carlisle's study where there were just not enough seats for everyone.

"Rose, Em, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme" Edward called out, whispering from our room "Please come to the dining room. Alice just saw a vision."

I shuddered once again thinking of the vision that I had just seen. I could not erase those pictures from my mind of those terrified kids, their fear was palpable. Edward took me in his arms, supporting me and soothing me, knowing my trail of thought.

"What did you see, Alice?" Carlisle asked, as soon as we walked into the dining room. Everyone was already seated on the chairs, waiting for us to arrive. Rose looked worried, she did not like the possibility of our family being in danger, Jasper looked tensed and I could see him utilizing his military training to think of what could the problem be. Emmett was smirking, he wanted an opportunity to showcase his strength and Esme too looked worried. She did not want any trouble to come our way. Carlisle's face showed no emotion, as he waited for me to speak.

"Oh Carlisle," I started. I would have been crying if I could "It was terrible. Those poor girls are being kept as prisoners. They are monsters of the worst kind."

"Calm down Alice" said Carlisle, taking an unneeded breath in "Now, slowly explain to me what you saw."

I sighed "I saw the Volturi Castle, and the supposed dungeons that other vampires say exist. I have never been able to see the Volturi before, but for some reason I could see them today. They have captured twelve young girls and have kept them as a prisoner. Aro is going to read their mind to see if they have any power that will manifest after their change, and if they do they are to be changed and forced to join the guard. If not….." I trailed off; knowing that everyone in the room knew what filled the blanks.

Carlisle sighed, disbelief clear in his eyes "I don't believe this. Aro liked to be powerful, but I doubt he is capable of doing something like this."

"He is" Jasper interrupted "You remember we had met that nomad a decade back on a hunt. He had told us of how Aro had broken his coven, killing the rest of his coven mates, and had taken one of his coven mates by force because he was an empath. The only reason why that nomad had survived was because he had been on a hunt at the time."

Carlisle sighed "I can't believe he would fall so low. Kidnapping young girls…."

"Carlisle" Esme whispered in a heartbroken tone, as Carlisle took her in his arms "They are kids."

"We need to save them." Rosalie spoke, determination seeping through her voice.

"Yeah we do, babe" Emmett agreed with her, nodding his head and flexing his muscles.

"I agree" said Jasper, sitting straight on the chair. I could guess that he was already making plans in his head, of how we were supposed to go ahead with this.

"Alice" Carlisle questioned.

I nodded my head, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to see what my visions pointed towards. I made the decision of helping those girls, and let my vision play out.

"_Jasper, no" the blonde girl I had seen in my previous vision, giggled out, but there was something different this time around. Her eyes were red, the newborn red. "Stop tickling me" she pleaded, laughing and trying to run away from Jasper, a feat that seemed difficult as Jasper pulled her closer to him. _

"_Say it" he murmured, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to not let her escape. They were somewhere in a meadow, surrounded by flowers. It was not Forks, that much was clear. _

_She shook her head playfully, giggling still "I let you feel it."_

"_Please" he pleaded, kissing her neck softly "Please Riley"_

_She smiled as he continued assaulting her neck with kisses and moan worthy bites, something he knew she loved and was turned on by. _

"_I" she took his face in her hands and kissed his eyes softly "Love" she kissed his nose, making him smile "You" their lips met in an intense passion of want, need and lust, and Jasper pulled her closer to him, her hands in his hair as they lost themselves to one another. _

_Their happiness radiated through their eyes as they lovingly gazed at one another, before they held hands and ran through the woods, their laughter filling the air. _

I slowly opened my eyes, looking at Jasper who was staring at me with keen curiosity in his eyes.

"What did you see?" he asked, his voice heavy and tense, assuming it to be something bad.

I shook my head, a smile breaking onto my face "I saw your mate."

When I got no response from him, I continued "Her name is Riley, but she is one of the girls taken prisoner by Aro." I whispered the last part, nervously and hesitantly. I knew how big a deal it was for a vampire to find their mate, and Jasper had been waiting for his since more than a century.

He sighed, taking his head in his hands. The worry he was feeling was radiating throughout the room.

"This settles it then." Carlisle said, taking the decision on the family's behalf. "Either way we would have done what we could, but this just makes our decision more firm. We will do what it takes to get Jasper's mate out of there, safe and hopefully human."

Rosalie, Emmett and Esme instantly nodded their heads, huge smiles covering their faces.

"But how?" said Edward "I agree we need to do this, and I too want to save those girls, but don't you think it is a deathtrap for us. They are the leaders of our kind, and extremely powerful. We seven against them are no match."

"She is my mate." Jasper growled out. I put my hand on his arm, calming him down. I looked at Edward; we had to do this for Jasper. We had to let him experience the happiness that we had, that Rose and Emmett had and that Carlisle and Esme had.

"We could ask Tanya. They would surely help us." Esme whispered.

"No use" Carlisle shook his head "Tanya and her sisters will never go against the Volturi."

"Oh" said Esme, looking at her lap "Now"

"I can try to talk to the vampires I had met during my travels, before I changed Edward, but I can't guarantee that they will help." Carlisle sighed.

"I know who to ask, and who will help." Jasper said.

"Who" asked Rosalie, I felt my vision go black. I couldn't see anything of our family, or of the coming days, but my vision of Jasper and Riley or of me and Edward stayed constant.

"Who" I whispered, confused. This had never happened to me before.

"The wolves" said Jasper, with a nod of the head "I will talk to Bella."


	41. The calm before the storm

Thank you brankel1, catgrl, .7334, MammaNita4, Blakey2103, Taffy Marie and Marion Ravenwood for your reviews.

A/N: We take a small jump from where we had last left Paul and Bella after their date… just know that nothing extremely important has taken place. They have just spent time together, getting to know one another better. Now on with the story, hope you like it and please review if you do. Thank you and Stay Safe!

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 3- The calm before the storm

Serenity….

This was the only word that came in my mind when I tried to describe my feelings at the moment. I was blissful and complete, witnessing such a feeling of completeness that I had never felt in my life before, as I lay on the soft mattress with my head on Paul's naked chest. He was snoring lightly; completely oblivious to the happiness I felt at the moment as I giddily blushed, cocooning myself closer in the blanket that was covering my naked satiated body.

I was not a virgin anymore….. I could not believe it. I had often wondered in the past few months of how my first time would be, whether it would be as terribly painful and even gross with all those bodily fluids, like the girls at school often spoke of, or whether it would be over in just a few odd minutes like that Jessica Stanley of Forks High had cribbed off, the optimistic part of me though had hoped that it would be as beautiful as Kim and Leah had made it to be, uncomfortable yes, somewhat painful yes, but still perfect and satisfying in its own way.

It is all about the person you do it with, Leah had once mentioned to me a few years back. With the correct person it can be perfect and pleasing beyond words, but with the wrong one, it could also be full of guilt and sometimes shame. It is all about what you want and how comfortable and ready for it you are, she had assured me, and now I knew the honesty in her words.

It was overwhelming to say the least, yes obviously the connection we shared now was much more intense than before, but even otherwise, I felt like I had given a part of me to him, and in return a part of him was now mine, forever. I knew that I was not his first, but I guess I had made my acceptance with it. I was happy to be his only and last, till he lived.

Cheesy, I know, but I could not help myself at this moment. I was just so…. happy, just so….. much in love.

I lightly ran a hand over the bite mark that proudly stood near his collarbone on his shoulder. It was a proof of our mating, a proof of the acceptance of our imprint, and also a proof that the alpha had found her mate, for life. I had been nervous of taking this step, as I had not been sure of how Paul would react to this. This bite screamed permanency. It bonded us together like no other, and now there was no going back. I knew that I wanted to take this step once the elders had told me of the existence and importance of it a few weeks back, but what about Paul? What if he would have been reluctant to take such an important step, one you could never go back from? I had offered to not bite him, to not bond us together in this way until he was ready, no matter how much my wolf forced me to, but he had assured and convinced me that this was what he wanted. Yes, he was scared, like a normal human would be, and also he had never seen relationships in a high respect and so would take some time to get used to this newness, but he had assured me of how he had given into to his instincts and feelings long ago, and now knew and accepted the bond that we shared. He was ready for this he had said kissing me slowly as I had smiled and turned red from the blush that was creeping onto my face, as he had slowly undressed me, caressing every inch of mine and whispering words of love to me.

We were yet to say the formal 'I love you' though. I knew it was there from his side too, his actions told me so, but knew that it would come out when he was ready to say so, and I was ready to wait for it too.

"Hey" he spoke, getting my attention back to him, making me blush at my line of thoughts, his voice raspy from sleep. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me impossibly close to him, a sigh of happiness escaping the both of our mouths.

"Hey, you" I mumbled, shyly.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" he raised an eyebrow in question, lightly brushing my lips with his, making me smile in response.

"Could not," I whispered; the blush on my face clearly visible "Had butterflies in my stomach."

He gave me a teasing look "You should have woken me up. I am sure I could have thought of something for the both of us to do."

I ignored the suggestive wink that accompanied his words as I thought of a comeback for myself "well from what I remember, you were completely exhausted and satiated, and could not even keep your eyes open after all of our lovemaking."

"Yeah," he playfully raised an eyebrow, as he overturned the both of us, using such strength I didn't even know he possessed, so that he was now lying over me.

"Well, how about we continue from where we stopped?" he asked, kissing my neck and trailing kisses down my shoulder and between my breasts, his hands on their own journey of caressing my body.

"You definitely won't hear me complaining." I managed to speak out through all the moans that were leaving my mouth.

"Glad for that" I heard him mumble as his actions showed me the love that he felt for me, leaving me completely satisfied and simultaneously begging for more.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Hungry?" I questioned, a while later, once again wrapped in the safety of his strong arms as he played with a strand of my hair and I ran a finger down his toned biceps. We had been in a comfortable silence for the past few minutes, but that had been broken by the growling of our stomach, reminding me that neither of us had eaten in the past fifteen hours or so. Our last meal had been a light dinner that Paul had cooked as a part of our third date at his house, and I had reached the conclusion mid-date that Paul was a terrible cook from the half burnt potatoes and the undercooked pasta that lay in front of me. He too had realized this fact, calling for Pizza instead, but taking in the sight of me moaning at the heaven that was that pizza slice, his words not mine; he had been unable to control himself. Instead he had just decided to show me of what I was missing and all what he wished to do to me, again his words not mine. Though in my defense, one look at what he was hiding under his shirt, and I was a goner.

"Yeah" he said, embarrassed "I could eat a horse. Sex makes me hungry."

I giggled, a new for me as I rarely ever giggled, before getting out of bed, reluctantly. I wish that we could have stayed in bed all day, but unfortunately that was not really a possibility.

"How about Omelet" I asked, wearing Paul's shirt that had roughly fallen on the floor in our haste last night. I did not bother with wearing anything other than that, as I ran a hand through my tangled mess of a hair.

He growled, his eyes raking down my body "You look sexy in my clothes."

I blushed "Yeah?" "I am thinking of keeping it. It suits me, don't you think?"

I twirled around for him, pouting my lips and running my hands down my body, trying to hide the fact that I knew how aroused he was from my act of teasing.

He growled once again, the sound directly going to my nether regions, as he got out of bed, his look promising to punish the bad girl in me, something I definitely could not wait for... as his stomach growled loudly.

I sighed "Come on, we need to eat too."

"Don't forget that you are going to get punished for teasing me like that, little minx." he whispered seductively in my ear, making me shiver in delight and anticipation, as he took my hand and led me towards his kitchen.

We worked in his not as clean as I would like it to be kitchen, him pouring the milk in the glasses as I made us a plate of omelet and toast. I buttered the toast as he helped in setting the table and taking the glasses out for us.

It felt normal working together like this, almost homely in our comfort. A tinge of happiness and want spread through my pores, making me giddy at my feet.

I wanted this in life, this normalcy in living and doing basic chores together, but I also knew that we still had a while to reach there.

We sat opposite one another, eating from our plates, as we talked about everything and anything. In the past few weeks we had taken to getting to know everything about the other, no matter how ridiculous or mundane it sounded. He would tell me important stories of his time in Pittsburgh, the baseless funny rumors that he heard in school from our classmates, while I would tell him tales of my talks with the other girls in school. We would talk about movies, books, studies, our future careers, our likes, our dislikes….. the big things and the small things, like I said anything and everything.

I had thought that I knew almost everything there was to know about Paul, but these past few days had made me realize that there were so many layers under the man that was Paul Lahote- he had the funny side, the cocky side, the overconfident side and even the somewhat angry side, but he also had the serious side- the side of his which spoke of his parents and how much their leaving him affected him, then there was his shy, not as confident side, when he would tell me of how sometimes he too doubted his decisions in life, fearing that he was not good enough or independent enough in life. We would share our fears, our wishes and wants, our worries about life and the path we had chosen or which had been chosen for us, and those talks had just made me realize that there was so much more to Paul Lahote than I had known of, making me fall in love with him even more than I had thought possible. It was as if he was baring his soul to me.

"Hey," he brought my attention back to him "Earth to Bella, where are you lost?"

I smiled, shaking my head "Nothing important"

He nodded his head in answer, taking a bite of his toast, completely immersed in eating his food once again.

I rolled my eyes at his bottomless pit like behavior as an important question crossed my mind "Does it pain?"

Seeing the confused look on his face I quickly pointed towards the bite mark and saw how understanding shone in his eyes.

"Nah," he said nonchalantly "On the contrary, it has a completely different effect on me."

I gave him a confused look as he chuckled and added "Whenever you touch it I get the urge to jump your bones."

My mouth formed an 'oh' as I took in his answer. Well, that could definitely work for us. One night with him and my mind had turned to the gutters, capable of thinking in only one direction.

He gave me a sigh "Well, as much as I would love to take you up on that offer," wait, had I said that out loud "You know that I have to drop you back home and go search for work. I need money to survive too."

I sighed "Yeah, let's not push our luck."

Sam and Leah had left for a weekend getaway to Seattle and I had convinced Allison that I was having a sleepover at Kim's this same weekend, knowing that Sam, my protective older brother, would not be out patrolling in La Push, though I had a doubt that Allison had not believed my lie. The way she had stared suspiciously at me before I had left the house had been proof enough.

He coughed, almost as if he had something important to talk of, before opening his mouth to speak "So, I was thinking that we should force my phase."

"What" I stared open mouthed at him.

"Hear me out" he said hesitantly "It is inevitable, isn't it? Why wait, then?"

I shook my head in haste, trying to convince him of the turmoil going on in my head "It is painful. It is fucking painful. Your bones break and rejoin, and nothing good will come from trying to phase before your wolf and human body are ready for it. Why would you want to bear all of that?"

I was seriously confused at the moment. Why would anyone want that?

He sighed, looking into my eyes "Because you are out there- facing danger, and there is nothing I can do to protect you. What if some other bloodsucker tries to hurt you"

I could see the anger in his eyes, and took his hand in mine, in a way to calm him down "Hey" "I am okay. You know there have been no nomads in a while, right, and I can look after myself. You bearing innumerable amount of pain is not really a solution to anything. I hate the fact that you will have to bear any amount of pain and trust me, if I could take it I would take it all."

I lightly kissed his lips, showing to him just how much he mattered to me, and heard him sigh and take me in his lap, wrapping his arms around me.

"Okay," he finally nodded his head "But I would still wish that I phase soon."

I nodded my head in agreement and he opened his mouth to add something, when my phone rang putting a stop to our conversation. I quickly left the comfort of his lap and walked towards the centre table in the living room where we had left my phone last night after watching The Godfather for possibly the hundredth time.

"Jasper" I looked at the screen in question. It was odd that he ever called. Our meetings were more on the line of during patrols instead.

Paul scowled from beside me, making me give him a look. He knew that Jasper was my relative. I had told him of this and so there was no need for him to be jealous or have any sort of animosity towards him, vampire or not.

"Yeah Jasper" I picked up the ringing phone, answering his call.

"Bella," his tone sounded urgent and desperate "Can you meet me right now?"

"All okay?" I questioned.

"Not really," he said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. I could hear someone talking in the background "Can you just meet me?"

"Yeah okay," I said, hoping that it wasn't anything serious "I can meet you in say ten minutes."

"Great, at the border" He said before cutting the call.

I sighed. There was something definitely wrong.

"So, what was that?" Paul asked.

"Umm," I shook my head in answer, not knowing how to phrase it "Jasper needs to talk to me about something. I am meeting him at the treaty line between La Push and Forks."

"I am coming with you." he said instantly.

"What, no" I stated, annoyed that he would decide to come with me.

"He is a vampire." He said, pointing at the obvious.

"And I am a wolf." I glared at him. Yeah, I loved him, but I was definitely not ready to be babied.

"But," he started, as I cut him off.

"Look, I can take care of myself. He is my friend, and more than that I am the Alpha of my pack. I need to be there for my people and my pack. It can be serious of why he wants to meet me." I said softly but making sure that he knew that this was not up for debate. I could take decisions for myself, like I had done so for the last sixteen years of my life.

He sighed, but nodded his head accepting defeat.

"Great," I smiled at him "I just need to take a quick shower. Can I use your shower?"

"Yeah" he said.

"He knows that I have imprinted but I would rather not flaunt it." I said with a nervous laugh.

He gave me a confused look as I clarified "Your scent is all over me and all supernatural creatures out there can smell it."

"Oh" he looked pleased at that, making me roll my eyes at the possessive man in front of me.

I hid my laugh at his still pleased expression as I walked towards the bathroom in his house to shower before leaving for my meeting with Jasper.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked Jasper as soon as I reached the treaty line. I nodded my head in acknowledgement at Carlisle Cullen who was standing beside Jasper on the other side of the invisible line, marked by our scents. Why he was here I had no idea, but nonetheless it confirmed it in my mind that something was indeed wrong.

Jasper quickly mumbled something, which even my supernatural hearing could not comprehend. All I understood was 'mate' 'Italy' and 'help'.

"Whoa, slow down" I said exasperatedly "I did not understand a word of what you just said. Slowly tell me what happened."

He sighed, but nodded his head "You know of my sister Alice, that she can see the future through her visions."

I nodded my head, knowing of this detail "Has she seen something?"

"Yeah, she saw a vision yesterday of the Volturi kidnapping young girls and keeping them prisoners. They are going to be changed without their will if they are found having a power, and if not they will become food for the kings. My mate is over there. I need to save her…. I need to….." he said in one breath.

"Jasper stop," I said sharply, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. I could feel the agitation and terror in my bones and instantly knew that this was what Jasper was feeling. There was no other for me to feel so…. like shit.

"Son, you are projecting," said Carlisle placing his hand on Jasper's shoulder.

"Dr. Cullen could you…." I left my question unsaid and he quickly nodded his head, understanding what I was asking from him.

"Bella, do you know of our leaders who form the rules for us?"

I nodded my head "Yeah, the Volturi."

He gave me a nod in return "My daughter Alice saw a vision concerning them. She saw that they have for lack of a better word kidnapped twelve young girls and locked them in the dungeons beneath their castle."

"For what reason" I asked immediately

"Aro, the leader of three kings has become power crazy. He wants to find valuable guards to keep in his guard and so is checking to see if these innocent girls have any power. If they do, they will be changed as soon as possible."

"How will he be checking this?"

He sighed "He has a power. He can read your mind from one touch, and it is believed that every vampire with a power holds some measure of the same power even as a human. Alice could see visions as a human, but more on the level of precognition. Jasper was always perceptive when it came to what others felt, and so was Edward. He could guess correctly what the other was thinking."

"Oh," I said at the lack of words to describe the shock I was experiencing "What will happen to the girls without this 'power' what he is searching for?"

He shook his head, a deep sigh escaping his mouth "They will be killed."

I stared at him with my eyes wide in shock. Of course that was what would happen to those poor innocent beings.

"What do you want from me?" I said after rubbing my hands over my eyes in frustration. I was not naïve enough to believe that their leaders would change their mind or listen to anybody who would attempt to stop them.

"Help," said Jasper, looking into my eyes, a pleading expression on his face.

"How" I said, keeping my expression as neutral as possible. I needed to know everything before I reacted and took my stand.

"My mate is one of those girls locked in there," said Jasper "I am… we are going to be going there to fight the Volturi. We are attacking them as we know that no other way to save those girls will work. It is extremely risky and can be considered a suicide attempt going just the seven of us, and so we are asking for help from you and your pack."

I nodded my head after a few minutes of tense silence "How many vampires would be there?"

Carlisle was the one to answer my question "The Elite guard consists of six- Alec, Jane, Demetri, Felix, Chelsea and Renata, who is also Aro's personal shield. Other than them there are the three leaders, their two wives and another ten guards or so. They prefer to use human guards for other purposes like laundry, cleaning the rooms or keeping the impression of humans inhabiting the castle."

"So say around twenty one- twenty two vampires." I confirmed.

Carlisle nodded his head in answer "Alice has a layout of the dungeons from her vision, and I remember the map and gates of the castle. I won't say it will be easy to defeat them, but it should be an equal fight, if you agree to help."

I nodded my head after a few minutes of silence "Can I take some time to talk to my pack? I need to talk to them and the elders before giving out my decision. This is not only my life that will be affected."

"Of course" said Carlisle instantly as Jasper too nodded his head "When can we expect your answer? Please know that we will understand even if you decide against helping us. It is not your problem."

Jasper agreed with him, but I could see the vulnerability and forlornness in his eyes. I had never seen Jasper look so disheartened. He had helped me when I had needed the help, and now maybe it was my time to give it back to him.

"I can tell you by tomorrow." I stated.

"We will be waiting" said Carlisle before the both of them turned to run in the opposite direction.

I sighed, starting to walk back towards La Push. I would have to talk to my pack and the elders as soon as possible, but why did I have a feeling that irrespective of what they said and who joined me, my decision was already made?


	42. Hard Decisions and training begins

Thank you .7334, brankel1, catgrl, MammaNita4, rachel625 and electrogirl88 for your reviews.

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 4- Hard Decisions and training begins-

"No," growled out Jared, shaking in his anger "This is not our problem. We are not responsible for what happens to those leeches. They can go to hell, for all I care."

Sam sighed, but nodded his head in agreement "I am sorry Bella, but Jared is correct. Our responsibility is to protect La Push, and only La Push from vampires. We phase to protect our land and our people. We are not responsible for what happens in anywhere outside La Push."

I turned to look at him, annoyance visible in my eyes "So, you mean to say that even if a few 'innocent humans' die because of vampires, the creatures that we are meant to destroy, it would not make much of a difference to your life? Am I getting that correct?"

Sarcasm was dripping through my voice as I raised my eyebrow in question.

Sam sighed "You know it is not like that."

"Then how is it like? Explain it to me." I scoffed "Because as I see it, there are innocent humans made prisoner in that castle, who do not deserve to be there. They do not deserve to be tortured, and they do not deserve to be stolen of their lives. It is as fucking simple as that."

"Yeah, life is not fair- get used to it." Jared scowled "I did not ask to become a shape shifter, yet here I am. I did not ask to be able to turn into an animal to save other humans from vampires, but I did not get any choice there, so like I said before, this is really not our problem. We cannot leave our land unprotected to help a bunch of leeches. It is one of their mate, great, they jump in the fire to save that girl's life. As selfish as it sounds, why should we risk our lives for them?"

"Get your head out of your ass, Jared" I frowned at him "What if this was Kim instead of that nameless faceless girl? Would you still say the same thing?"

He glared at me "Don't you dare bring her in this. She is an imprint."

I gave out a short bitter laugh "That just proves my point. You do realize that their mating is similar to our imprinting, right? If you cannot see Kim in danger, or I cannot imagine Paul being in danger, how could Jasper sit back and relax while his mate is in danger?"

"But he is a leech." He scoffed at me, as if that would have made any difference. For all supernatural creatures, or at least the ones that we knew of, mating followed pretty much the same rules. It was instant and forever. Just the names of this connection were different for each creature. We called it imprinting, while they stuck to mating, and mating or imprinting, however you refer to it, was a life changing event for whoever it happened, and I knew well that if something were to happen to Jasper's mate, he never would be the same again, and could even try to kill himself.

Technically speaking we may be mortal enemies, and this may really not be my battle in the first place, but after knowing and spending time with Paul, my mate, I really could not wish such miserable pain of losing your mate forever on anyone.

"What is it to you?" he scowled at me "I understand that you like playing family with those precious leeches of yours, but you cannot expect us to join into this suicide mission. I have no pretentiousness of being noble, thank you very much."

"I wasn't expecting it from you, asshole." I cussed at him. I did not want to, but I just could not help it. "I was just informing you, who is a part of my pack, that this is what they told me. They saw a vision and asked for our help, as simple as that. I told them that I would talk to my pack and the elders, and so here I am."

He scoffed, but did not say anything, and I gave him a disgusting glare before turning to look back ahead. How had I ever thought that Jared and I were friends, was beyond my understanding, or maybe, the circumstances that we had passed through changed us in some way, but whatever, I guess this is a part of growing up. Friends become strangers and people you had never expected to be friends with, turn out to become important in your life.

"Bella," Billy sighed "Please refrain from fighting when you are in a tribal meeting. At least pretend for us that there is unity in the pack."

I looked at my feet, trying to avoid seeing the disappointment in his face. Billy, Harry, Quil Sr., Levi and Old Ms. Ateara were all in attendance in this last minute announced tribal meeting at Levi's house, and so far all we had achieved was my telling them of Alice's vision and the meeting with Jasper and Carlisle Cullen, followed by Jared shouting that it was completely ridiculous that they expect help from their mortal enemies.

"Billy is correct," said Levi "We need to know more before we take our decision. What plan have they thought of for killing their royalty and saving those girls lives?"

I straightened in my seat, as I started to answer his question "Carlisle Cullen had lived a while in Italy with them before he moved to the country and changed his first companion, and so he knows the ins and outs of the castle. He has offered to make a map of the castle for them to have a plan of the attack, also Alice, Jasper's sister who saw the vision, can help in telling them where exactly the dungeons are, and the best way to get to them. Carlisle Cullen also knows of the powers that those vampires hold, and the best way to protect their lives if push came to shove."

Levi nodded his head, a look of contemplation on his face "I see,"

"Jasper has also agreed to conduct training, if we agree to help them. He has a lot of experience fighting vampires."

I did not think of elaborating on his experiences during the southern vampire wars. He could fight, and that was all what was important. He was not the same heartless man that he had been during that period, and so it made no sense to attach that image to his impression. It made no sense to make the council wary of his presence even before they had met him.

"I see, they have thought this through," whispered Levi, more to himself than to anyone else in the room.

"How many vampires would there be?" Billy questioned.

"Around twenty one or twenty two," I repeated the answer that had been answered to me.

He nodded his head "And will there be other vampires joining them?"

"They are trying to get help from their old friends." I said indecisively. I did not have any exact answer for that question.

"I think this is a waste of time." Quil Sr. said, taking a smoke of his pipe. "I agree with them," he pointed at Jared and Sam "It is stupid to ask the help of your mortal enemies. Why would we help them? They should instead try contacting others of their kind."

"Quil," Old Ms. Ateara chided softly, but sternly "Or maybe, they thought that we would be mature enough to set our priorities straight, but looking at you, maybe not."

I hid my laugh as Quil Sr. pouted and Old Ms. Ateara just shrugged in return.

"But what about the consequences of their mutiny," Harry asked "Fighting the leaders of your community comes with its consequences. Being an ally in their mutiny could prove dangerous for us too. I don't wish any harm to fall over our tribe."

"It will not." I said as confidently as I could. I did not know how true or how false my words were, but I would make sure that our tribe would not be affected by this decision….. by my decision.

"You don't know that," said Harry "Vampires are known to be vengeful creatures. We cannot take the risk of even one of them seeking revenge."

"I agree with Harry," said Billy.

"And how do we know that there will be revenge executed?" asked Levi "We cannot predict that something like that would occur. Haven't we been wrong in our predictions before?" he turned to look at Harry and Billy "We didn't expect a girl to phase, yet here we are. We didn't expect anyone of this generation to phase at all, and more importantly, all three of us- Ephraim, Quil and I had thought that our children would definitely phase. They were direct shape shifter descendants, yet they did not phase, and neither did their children. And so, we cannot truly predict any of these things, and what is the guarantee that the Cullens won't retaliate?"

"What do you mean, Levi?" asked Billy worriedly.

"They are seven of them, against our four. Losing a mate is a big loss, and we are safe because of a treaty. If Jasper is killed in the fight, or loses his mate before they can reach Italy due to the lack of help, they can always blame us for not helping them. It is irrational but not impossible. We need to tread carefully here."

"What do you suggest then?" asked Harry, shifting on his seat.

Levi sighed, turning towards Old Ms. Ateara "Have the spirits visited you lately?"

I stared at Old Ms. Ateara waiting for her answer. It had slipped my mind these past few days that Old Ms. Ateara could talk to the spirits of our ancestors, and they guided her as an when guidance was required, and so, she had been the one to call Levi and Ellen from Seattle when I had first phased, at the guidance of the spirits.

She smiled a small all knowing smile "Nothing. I guess they believe that our decision will be the correct one to take, and so have stayed away from influencing our decisions."

Levi nodded his head "Hmm, This makes me wonder if this was what Ephraim had meant when he had told me to keep phasing. He had said that I would know when the time comes. I wonder if this threat is what he was talking of."

"But shouldn't the crisis have been linked to our own tribe for that matter?" I asked confused. Why would our spirits tell Levi to keep phasing if the crisis wasn't even linked to our tribe? It felt strange to me.

He shook his head, a smile on his face "Not necessarily, all Ephraim had said was that your pack would need my guidance, and fighting such a huge number of experienced vampires will not be easy. You will need all the guidance and experience that you can get."

"You cannot be serious." Jared scoffed "Does anybody even care of what we think? This is our life which is being put at risk, and for what- to save a human who will be changed into a bloodsucker because her mate is already one. This is ridiculous!"

"Sit down Jared Cameron" Levi said, leaving no space for arguments. "Nothing is decided as of now. We are just thinking of what we should do, and like Bella said before, nobody will be forced to fight if they don't want to, and contrary to what you think, every human life is important, and don't forget there are eleven other girls too in that prison. What their royalty is trying to do is a misuse of their power, and if I choose to fight, I will be fighting to end that wrong that they are committing."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, Levi," said Billy "What about La Push? We cannot leave it unprotected. What if this is a trick of the Cullens? How can we trust that they are saying the truth?"

"I could see that they were telling the truth." I whispered from my place. Jasper's face….. I had never seen a man look more vulnerable before. I had no doubt in mind that they were saying the truth.

"What reason would they have to lie?" asked Levi, almost as if reading my mind "Don't forget, Dr. Cullen had removed the venom out of Bella's body after the attack, saving her life. If they meant to harm us, why would they do so? I don't think they are lying, but if you still have doubts over their motives, we can talk to Dr. Cullen and then think of what we should do ahead."

Billy and Harry looked satisfied by Levi's words, while Quil Sr. just huffed in response. He knew that the council worked on majority, and if majority said yes to help the Cullens, his opinion would either way be of no use.

I took a deep breath, deciding to say what I had in mind. Irrespective of what the elders decided, my decision had been taken.

"I am going to be fighting."

I decided to keep it as simple and to the point as I could. There was no need for elaboration here.

I shut my eyes tightly, hearing the expected uproar from those around me, especially Sam.

"You cannot be serious, Bella." He shouted at me. "I understand that you feel like they are your friends, but risking your life is not a joke. Do you even realize how dangerous this is? Whatever they say, there is a very high chance that their royalty will win. They are their leaders, and haven't they themselves said that this Volturi is filled with extremely powerful leeches."

"I have made my mind, Sam." I stated, choosing to look into his eyes, to make sure that he knew how serious I was about this.

And in a way, I knew that I was absolutely serious of this, and would not be changing my mind, no matter who said what. This was not a decision taken in haste. Even after my initial thoughts of believing that I had no choice in the matter, I had at length thought this through. I knew that this was what I wanted. I was ready to fight these vampires. I knew how big the risk was, but I was ready to take it.

"Think about mom," Sam tried changing my mind "Think of how this will affect her. Don't you remember how upset she had been after your injury?"

I sighed audibly "She knows. I told her about this, and in a way she has given me her blessing."

He looked taken aback at that "You can't be serious."

I just nodded my head at that, the memories of the past few hours invading my mind.

I had had a sleepless night for once. For hours I had twisted and turned on my bed, thinking of what should be done ahead. I was so confused. A big part of me knew that this was what was supposed to happen. It was morally correct to save another's life, especially when I had the power to do so, but another selfish part of mine, was reluctant. I was only sixteen. I could die in this fight, or could end up with severe permanent injuries, in a best case scenario. Was I ready for something like this? I had hardly started to live my life. Was it selfish to think of myself? Those girls needed the help desperately, but was it fair to my family or to Paul, to do this to them?

How does one decide between what is right and what is wrong?

"Bella," Allison had called from the door of my room "I heard you move in your bed. Are you having a sleepless night?"

I sighed in the darkness, glad that she was not able to see my face. I was afraid that I had tears rolling down my eyes.

It was stupid. I did not even know why I was crying.

"Yeah…. Just a lot on mind," I finally murmured.

"Do you want to share it with me?" she softly whispered.

I shook my head in the dark, croaking out an "I am fine."

She sighed, but did not protest "Okay, if you change your mind, I am downstairs in the kitchen, preparing hot cocoa for myself. I don't think I will be sleeping again, now that my sleep has been interrupted. If you want some, come down."

With that she left the room, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

A few minutes later, when the scent of warm cocoa wafted through the room, making my stomach grumble. I sighed, realizing that my unconscious decision of not eating dinner properly had come back to haunt me. I quickly got up from my bed running a hand through my hair and over my face, before making my way towards the Kitchen.

"Here you go," Allison said, handing me a steaming cup of cocoa, sitting opposite me on a pulled out chair.

I quickly sipped through my drink, avoiding looking into her eyes. She had always been able to read me well.

"Is this about Paul?" she tentatively asked.

"Mom," I gave her my best annoyed look "I said I don't want to talk about it."

She gave me an apologetic look "Sorry, was just trying."

We sat in silence for a minute or two before she dramatically sighed, making me look up at her in confusion.

"I miss the days when I was one of your best friends, and you used to tell me everything. Now it feels like pulling teeth out. Life was so much easier when you were all kids."

I rolled my eyes, knowing well that she was over exaggerating to make me open up.

"You can't make me feel guilty for this, mom. I am not a kid anymore. I am not going to 'feel bad' and tell you everything." I said smiling.

"Damn it!" she slammed at the table, her eyes telling me that she was just being playful "I wish you were still that innocent little girl who could be convinced of anything with mere puppy dog eyes."

I laughed at that "yeah, I remember. I have spilled so many secrets because of that."

She took my hand in hers "But seriously, I am here to listen. You know you can tell me anything."

I nodded my head in reply. I was glad for that.

She did not say anything ahead; letting me think, or rather letting me form the words in my head. Either way I guess we both knew that I would end up telling her everything. I had never been good at hiding things from her.

"Mom," I finally said "How do you know what the right decision is?"

She shrugged "You always know it in your heart. What feels right is right, at least ninety percent of the time."

I nodded my head, taking her words in.

"Why do you ask?" she finally asked, when I did not say anything ahead.

"I am confused." I whispered "Someone came to me asking for help. I want to help but what if helping them means putting my own life at risk. How do I decide then?"

She was quiet for a few minutes "What kind of help?"

"A matter of life or death" I answered simply.

She looked shocked for a few minutes, before she composed herself again.

"I don't know about others, Bella," she said softly "But I believe that if you have the power to save someone's life, you should."

"Even if it means, putting your own life at risk?" I questioned in surprise.

She nodded her head "Everyone has a duty to fulfill in life, Bella. Some have it tougher than others. I am guessing this has something to do with you being a shape shifter, correct?"

I nodded my head in agreement.

She sighed "In that case, you should do your duty. Fulfill the purpose you were meant to fulfill. Does it feel correct in your heart?"

"I think so," I whispered.

"Then I don't need to ask any more questions, Bella"

Nothing more needed to be said. I knew that not only had she cleared the confusion in my head, but had also sort of given me her permission to do so.

"Bella," Sam pulled me out of thoughts, back to the meeting with the elders "I can't believe this. I will talk to mom. You are being irrational and….."

"No," I interrupted "I know what I am doing. I am sure of this. I am not a kid, Sam. I can think for myself."

I was not even angry at him. I knew why he was behaving so.

"But," he started to protest.

"Sam," Levi interrupted him this time around "She has a right to take a decision for herself. Bella," he turned to look at me "Are you sure of this?"

I nodded my head confidently.

He sighed, nodding his head "Okay then, you have our permission." "I don't know about Sam and Jared yet, like I said they have a choice to say no, but I too will be fighting with you and the Cullens. I cannot sit back and see something like this happen. This is a clear misuse of power, one I will not stand for."

I nodded my head, a small smile on my face.

"I need to call Jasper. I assume we will have to leave for Italy as soon as possible."

He nodded his head in answer, before telling that he would be the one to call Carlisle Cullen instead, and I should go home and prepare for the training that was to happen before we left.

I nodded my head, leaving Levi's house, walking through the woods to reach my house.

"Bella," Sam's voice called after me. I stopped and looked at him, hesitantly.

"What are you going to tell Paul?"

I rose my eyebrow in confusion "I have not thought about it, why?"

That was one tough bridge to cross. I had no idea of what I would be telling Paul. I needed time to think of this. He would sure rightfully be difficult to convince of my leaving.

"I will have to tell Leah something, right?" he winked at me.

I gave him a bright smile, hugging him lightly "Thank you,"

He shook his head "I may not like them, but I know that what their leaders are doing is wrong, and someone needs to protect my sister, correct?"

I punched him lightly in the chest, his eyes smirking with mischief.

"I hope we live." I said softly.

"I hope so too." He sighed, a few minutes later.

X-X-X-X-X-X

"And these are Garrett and Maggie," said Jasper, as I nodded my head in acknowledgement. The clearing where we were currently was filled with vampires that were here to help the Cullens in their mission. The clearing though was a big one, looked extremely small at the moment, from all the people occupying it, but Jasper had explained to me how many of those who were here wanted to defeat the Volturi more than help the Cullens in saving those girls.

I guess they were holding true to the saying – 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'

Either way, it was more the merrier for us in this mission.

Though it had only been twenty four hours since Jasper and Carlisle had come asking for our help, they had successfully managed to call for a few vampires for help too, in this short amount of time. Jasper's brother Peter and his wife Charlotte were here, who were coincidentally with Garrett and his mate Maggie at that time, and had offered to come with Peter to Forks. Maggie was originally from the Irish coven in Ireland before she joined Garrett in living the nomadic life, and so with one call of hers, her old coven Siobhan and Liam too joined in, and with them came another nomad named Alistair who was visiting them at the moment. Then there were the Romanians- Stefan and Vladimir, who had several millennia old enmity with the Volturi and were always willing to fight with anybody ready to challenge them, and lastly there were their Denali cousins from Alaska. Not all of them- just the ones named Eleazar and his mate Carmen. The three sisters, which included their head of the coven- Tanya, had refused to join. And of course, from our side there was me, Levi and Sam. Jared had refused to join, volunteering to protect La Push in our absence, which in a way was a good thing for us. We did not need him causing fights here, amidst all these vampires. We knew that we were severely outnumbered, but we also knew that our actual fight was one much bigger than that between vampires and shape shifters, and here at this point of time we were all on the same side.

And so, our renegade army now consisted of three shape shifters and eighteen vampires, quite a total I would say.

Today was our first and last practice, or informative session to be honest, before we left for Italy in the evening in Carlisle's private jet. According to Alice's latest vision, though the decision of which girls would survive and which would not was already made, the action on them was yet to be executed, and so we needed to act fast.

At the moment though, we were being informed on which vampire in the Volturi held which power.

"Jane holds the strongest power out of all of them," said Carlisle, gaining the attention of everybody in the crowd "And she is also the one we should worry most about. Her power is frightening, even to experienced vampires. She holds the ability to create an illusion of pain. Not real pain- just an illusion, but enough to make anyone fall to the ground and cry out, begging for it to end. It is similar to being burnt alive."

"Is there a way to stop her?" asked Levi "Maybe something that can reduce the effect of her power?"

Carlisle sadly smiled, shaking his head "No, nothing. There is no way to avoid or reduce her power, and so she is the first hurdle on our way. Her brother Alec, who is an equal part of the witch twins, is equally difficult to overpower. His power is an exact opposite of Jane's; while she can cause pain he can numb your senses. When he uses his power on a person they are unable to feel anything. He can block a person's senses, rendering them completely useless in a fight."

"If you are trying to convince us on why we should not fight, I would say that you are doing an amazing job at that." muttered Sam, rolling his eyes. I mildly nodded my head in agreement. With every word spoken my trepidation was increasing.

Carlisle shrugged, ignoring Jasper's glare "I just want to be honest with you. I don't want to lie and force you into something that would cost you your life. In my belief it is always better to know what you are agreeing to get into."

Eleazar laughed a short laugh from his place in the clearing "You are wrong Carlisle, very very wrong. There is one way in which Jane can be stopped, as well as defeated. Her ability to create the illusion of pain doesn't work on a mental shield, and as I see it, not only do we have a mental shield on our side, but also a physical shield."

Now it was everyone's turn to stare at Eleazar- a few with confusion in their eyes, and a few looking suddenly extremely relieved.

"What is a shield?" asked Levi, a question that was sure on my mind too.

Eleazar though ignored Levi's question, turning to look directly at me, before looking at Edward Cullen out of everyone in the clearing.

"Can you read her?" he asked.

Edward shook his head reluctantly "No, but I thought it may have been something to do with her being the first female alpha, though I had had no problem in reading Ephraim's mind.

Eleazar nodded his head, looking even more convinced than before.

"Is Bella a shield?" asked Jasper surprised.

Eleazar nodded his head once again "A very strong one at that, possibly the strongest in human form that I have ever met. It is a pity that she could never be one of our kind, she would have been invincible."

"Will someone tell me what is going on?" I said frustrated "Don't pretend like I am not here. What is a shield?"

"It is the ability to block any and all kinds of psychic powers that act on invading the mind," said Jasper grinning "It is like this- that if you don't want someone using their mental power on you, they will not be able to."

"But how will it make a difference?" I mumbled confused. I was still unwilling to accept of what this could mean.

"It means that you are the only one on whom Jane and Alec's powers will not work." Levi spoke out "Their powers affect the mind of a person, and on you these powers are useless." He looked at Carlisle "Am I correct?"

Carlisle instantly nodded his head.

"But how," I asked shakily "I am a shape shifter."

Eleazar sighed "Yes, your physical shield may not be as strong as it would have been in case you had been like us, but your mental shield is still very strong." He was quiet for a few minutes "Let's try out something. Can all of you phase?"

I turned to look at Levi for an answer. We had agreed to come for this meeting in our human form, so as to not intimidate or appear as a threat to the vampires around. On his nod, the three of us quickly ran to the trees surrounding us to phase into our wolf form.

We soon walked out in a line, our coats shining underneath the glare of the rare sun. We then stood facing Eleazar, waiting for him to speak ahead.

"Now Bella, I want to see if you can protect the other shape shifters in this clearing."

'How' was the biggest question in my mind, I hadn't even known that I could do something like this a few minutes back.

He cleared his throat in an unnecessary human gesture "Close your eyes and try to look deep in your unconscious,"

I tried following his orders, ignoring every other sound around including Sam and Levi's thoughts.

"Try searching for a wall. It will hurt at first, but don't give up."

Almost on cue, a throbbing headache overtook my senses, but knowing how important this was I kept going on.

It was almost like meditating as I concentrated on searching for this wall that he was speaking of. I was about to open my eyes and contradict that he was wrong, when all of a sudden I felt that I had reached a kind of blocking. I wouldn't call it a wall exactly, but a kind of big boulder that is blocking everything behind it.

"She has found it," said Edward "I can read it in Sam's mind."

"Good, Bella" I faintly heard Eleazar say "Now try to extend that wall to cover your fellow wolves."

I tried to lift the boulder that lay in my head, but unwillingly gave up when the throbbing headache threatened to leave me crippled.

I opened my eyes again, sweating and exhausted.

"It was a good try," praised Eleazar "I am sure that with some practice you will be able to shield Levi and Sam as well, if not any of us. I don't think as a shape shifter that will be possible for you. Being the alpha will also come helpful for you in protecting your pack."

I nodded my head hesitantly. I did not know what I had enrolled myself for. I kept reminding myself that this was for the good of another.

"Carlisle," grinned Jasper "Till I have heard Jane and Alec could not fight without their powers."

Carlisle nodded his head in agreement "They thought it was unnecessary to learn to fight."

"So, if their power stands useless it will be a piece of cake to end them" said Eleazar, clapping his hands together in excitement.

"So let me get this straight," said Siobhan "The wolves kill Jane and Alec, and what about the rest?"

She turned to look at us and Levi nodded his head. He had agreed to it on our behalf. We would be the ones to kill the so called witch twins.

"Except Caius and Felix, the rest of them are average fighters. It won't be very difficult once the witch twins are dead," said Carlisle.

The rest of us took his words in, nodding our heads.

"Bella, I would like to help you in lifting your shield," said Eleazar "I believe that though the time is less, we can work on it to protect at least the three of you."

I nodded my head in agreement, as Carlisle discussed the details of when we would all be leaving for Italy. Soon the clearing cleared out, with only me, Eleazar and Edward staying back- Edward so that we could be sure that the shield was being lifted and moved.

"Okay now," spoke Eleazar "Close your eyes and try to find your shield."

I sighed but did as he said. We had a long way of training to go before tomorrow's sun rose.


	43. The beginning of the end (Part I)

Thank you MammaNita4, .7334, brankel1, Twibookworm, KeraAtchley1989, catgrl and Taylor9901 for your reviews.

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 5- The beginning of the end (Part I)

I hated this.

I absolutely loathed this.

I had never been one with larger than life morals or anything; my reason for not lying was something very different and very earthly from that. I was a terrible liar. I could never say a lie with a straight face, seeing in the eyes of the person I was talking to. I would nervously shift on my feet, keep staring at something in the background or worst of all, completely forget what I was trying to hide in my stammer and stutter. I just wasn't meant to lie in life. Saying the truth was easier. There was no guilt that came with it. Yes, it was tough, no doubt in that. Honesty was always tougher than outright lying, but in the long run, honesty was also always better.

Yet despite of knowing and being well aware of this simple fact, here I stood, probably making one of the worst mistakes of my life- one that could cost me my very life, or at least put my happiness at a risk.

'He would never forgive me, even if I survived' my guilt ridden mind tried convincing me once again in a futile attempt, but I retaliated, I was doing this for him. He would force me into either not leave, or somehow convince me that he should come along too, and that was a risk I could not dare take. If anything happened to him…

I shuddered in fright. No, it was better this way. He would be safe here, far far away from the fight…. far far away from me too, but at least safe.

Yes, he was not a shape shifter yet. It was better this way. Even having him anywhere close to Volterra, Italy, would be enough to divert my attention from the fight to his safety. No, I could not take such a risk. Vampires were cruel when it came to revenge. They could also remember a scent for much longer than us. What if one of them would scent him on me? It could be dangerous for him…. for me. I could not take such a risk…..

"Bella," Paul said, pulling me out of my thoughts "Are you okay? You trailed off there."

I shrugged "Just thinking,"

"Well, that's a dangerous thing," he teased, smirking.

I managed a small smile despite of our circumstances.

He sighed a few seconds later, pulling me close to him and wrapping his arms around me, a gesture that made me too sigh out in relief. I always longed for his touch. The way his warm strong hands would roam on my body, his touch gentle and soothing, and telling the tale of his unparallel love and longing.

"Why do you have to leave me and go?" he whispered in my ear, his voice soft and holding a fair amount of desperation.

"Paul," I sighed. I hated lying to him. "I told you. Theirs leaders have called us to Italy to sign a treaty with them. It is important…" I shifted nervously at my feet "Levi spoke to Carlisle Cullen. We need to just go there and sign a piece of paper, just formalities." I shrugged, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"But why," he questioned, his hands tightening their grip over my waist "I just don't think it is safe to go in the enemy's lair like that. What if it is a trap?"

I smiled "Paul, their leaders want to bring change. It is a step towards progress. We just have to meet them. One of their leaders has a thing against werewolves or something. We just have to meet them in person so that they are convinced that we are not werewolves but shape shifters, and then they have promised that if we sign their designed treaty, they will make sure that no nomads cross our lands, and in return we will not kill a vampire unless provoked. It will be over in minutes. They want to bring peace in the world."

If only it had been that simple. I felt like a pathetic pathetic human for doing this to him.

He sighed, his eyes begging me to change my words, tell him that this was a terrible joke, to tell him that I was not going anywhere.

"Then why is Jared staying back?" he whispered, still attempting to protest.

I shrugged "We can't leave La Push unprotected, and Levi, Sam and I would be enough to prove that we are not the original werewolves."

He sighed "I don't like this."

I didn't like this too.

"Paul, it is just a matter of two days. I will be back before you know it." I consoled, hoping and praying that my words would somehow be proven true.

"Why can't I come with you?" he asked "I will stay in the hotel when you go to meet them."

I shook my head, looking at my feet "No, it is too risky. They have a tracker in their guard. What if they trace your scent back to the hotel? We can't take such a risk."

"I am not weak, Bella." He shouted angrily "I can protect myself."

I shook my head hastily. The last thing I needed was a misunderstanding between us at this point of time. "I did not mean it like that. I know that you can protect yourself, but just like you worry about me, don't I have the right to worry about you? Please Paul," I pleaded; my eyes were begging him to understand.

He sighed "Do you really have to go? Can't Jared go instead of you?"

I shook my head "I am the Alpha, Paul. I represent for my pack."

"I hate this." he said.

"I hate it too." I whispered in his shoulder. I once again contemplated over my decision of not telling him the original reason for my leaving. He should know. He had a right to know, but how could I force him to suffer in worry and wait desperately for answers till I came back, or I could not even dream of him forcing me to stay back, somehow changing my mind. I could not do that. I had to do this. I had to go on this attack mission.

"When do you leave?" he finally asked me.

"Today evening," I nervously replied "The Cullens have arranged the flight for us. We will meet their leaders tomorrow, and be back by tomorrow night or latest day after. I am not sure with the time difference, but I assume we will be back latest by day after."

"Do you have to leave just right now?"

I shook my head instantly, despite the fact that I did have to be back at training as soon as possible, I needed to be close to Paul for just some more time. I had to savor these memories, just in case they were my last with him…..

'No' I internally scolded myself. It would do me no good to think like that. I had to stay positive. I would be coming back.

"I have a few hours to spare." I finally answered.

"Great," he gave me a huge grin "Let's go to my house?"

I nodded my head in agreement. I knew he needed this time with me as much as I needed it with him.

We slowly walked back to his place, holding hands with my head leaned down on his shoulder. No words were needed to be shared between us. By now we could read the other's eyes. I could read the pain and worry in his eyes, and I also knew that he could read the nervousness and fear in mine, but luckily he did not press on it, probably assuming that I would be worried of meeting their leaders either way.

"You want to see a movie?" he asked as soon as we had entered his house.

I nodded my head, looking around. I knew that Cherry was still in town but I hadn't seen her in days together, or probably she was somehow always out when I visited. Either way, it was not like we were friends. I tried to act cordial with her for Paul's sake, but other than that I still did not like her very much.

The next three hours flew by way faster than I had hoped for or liked for it to. Paul and I sat beside one another, munching on popcorn and watching a movie, only for me to realize a half hour into the movie that Paul was looking at me rather than watching the screen, which led into me staring back into those beautiful eyes of his, trying to hide my blush….. and then, let's just say that the movie lay forgotten as he pulled me in his arms and showed me just how much he loved me, saying that this would make me remember why exactly I should not leave him and go.

X-X-X-X-X-X

I had also never been one for the elaborate goodbyes. My goodbye with Paul was short, sweet and filled with passionate kisses. We had kissed several times…. on his couch…..standing at the front door… and even in his yard, before I had finally told him that I really had to go. I still had to go home to pack my overnight bag and tell my mother that I was leaving. I had also ignored the phone calls by Jasper to ask me where I was and why was I not in training, which I knew could prove costly for me in my fight, but I could not help myself. I craved Paul like no other, and I could never really regret the time spent with him.

Finally he let me go, a tear leaking down my eyes, which I pushed away harshly. I did not want to show him that I was crying, even if I was internally. I plastered a big fake smile on my face, reassuring him that this visit was indeed not a big deal and I would be back before he knew it. I knew he would worry, irrespective; I was going into enemy's lair, like he had put it, but this was my small attempt to leave him with a smile. A crying face was not what I wanted him to remember me by incase…

'No' I stopped my trail of thoughts. I was going to come back.

After one last hug and kiss I left Paul's house and made my way to my own house, rushing to my room to pack an overnight bag, after which I assured the same things to my mom, not telling her the actual reason as she already knew that I was out on a dangerous mission and did not need to know more for her own safety reasons, but just telling her not to worry and that both of her children would be back in the same condition as they had left.

Finally after doing all that I needed to, I phased to my wolf form in the woods, holding my bag with my teeth as I ran to the Cullen house in Forks which was our meeting point. Sam and Levi would be meeting me there directly as both of them had too gone back to their own houses to do the same routine. Sam, like me, had decided to hide the truth from Leah, hating it but not wanting her to worry. He was going to tell her the same thing that I had told Paul. Levi though had refused to lie to Ellen. She already knew enough he had argued, and so had decided that she would know everything there was to know about this.

The Cullen mansion was far bigger than I had imagined it to be. It was covered with glass windows from the top to the bottom, but my attention was diverted from the splendorous mansion to the crowd standing right outside it. It was time to go. A fleeting thought of changing my mind appeared in my head but I changed my mind as soon as it arrived. There was no time to now go back. I had to do this.

The Cullens had offered to drive their cars all the way till the small airport in Port Angeles where their private jet was waiting for us. We had offered to run till there, but Esme Cullen had insisted that running with bags held in our teeth could not be as comfortable, and they had several spare cars that could accommodate the lot of us. Driving till there was much more comfortable than running for both are kind and theirs, she insisted.

We finally agreed and sat in her driven car, she being the only one that Sam felt comfortable taking help from, and surprisingly her warmth and calmness made sure that we were not in any kind of discomfort. Soon we reached the airport of Port Angeles and after completing all the necessary formalities we were shown our way to the private jet.

I had never before seen, far less traveled in a private jet, and my eyes lay wide open at the sight of ostentatiously in front of me. Sam lightly nudged me in the arm, telling me to shut my mouth and walk ahead while he tried controlling his laugh. I shook my head walking inside the jet.

The eleven hours and thirty minutes long flight was uneventful to say the least. The vampires kept to their part in the flight while we stuck to ours. I slept for a while, only waking up when my stomach growled in a very unwomanly like manner, making me blush in embarrassment. Esme Cullen who was winning us by the minute with her kindness had insisted to provide meals for us for our flight journey, saying that it was no problem at all, and we munched on the sandwiches and chips that she had arranged. I spoke to Sam and even Jasper for a short while, but more or less all of us were worried about the outcome that tomorrow would bring, and chose to keep ourselves to our thoughts. The only time this peaceful arrangement had broken had been when Rosalie Hale Cullen had made a face of disgust, saying how the entire flight smelt of this putrid wet dog smell, to which Sam had growled back and stated that she did not smell like flowers and so had no right to complain. Rosalie's husband Emmett had been quick to intercept, and everyone had once again gone back to what they were doing.

Eleazar once again tried working on my shield taking Edward's help and we worked on it for hours at stretch, only stopping when I was hungry or when I grumbled of a headache that normally crippled me when I was trying to lift or move my shield.

Finally after what seemed like eternity but was only a few hours, we landed in Florence, Italy. We quickly exited the jet, happy to once again be out in the open free space. Staying in such an enclosed place for so long had been exhausting, even though neither of us was human or completely human, and so there was no exact need for a layover, still it felt good to finally stretch our legs and breathe in the natural air.

It was local time 1:30 pm when we walked out of the airport, with Florence Italy being nine hours ahead of us, and the three of us- shape shifters stood in awe and complete surprise at the sights in front of us. Levi had at least had some exposure in his extremely long life and had visited the different cities and states in our country, but neither Sam nor I had ever even been outside Washington. This was like entering a completely different universe for us. I could see that Sam was trying to act all nonchalant at the moment and not show how he was excited as well as terrified, but he was failing miserably at it. Everyone could see the curiosity and excitement in his eyes. I only wished we had come here in better circumstances….. and maybe that Paul could have been here with me. He too was fond of traveling and visiting new places, and maybe someday in the future we would come back here again together.

We stood even more surprised when we found out that cars had been arranged for us to go to the hotel. Yes, hotel. Apparently the Cullens never did anything half hearted. When I had thought of our traveling to Italy, my first thought had been that we would land in Florence- directly run to Volterra- get the fight done with it, and if hopefully we survived, we would take the next flight back to Port Angeles, but oh how naïve had I been. Apparently I had forgotten things like food, shower and changing clothes in our plan. Carlisle had stated that staying in Volterra or anywhere close could be extremely hazardous and could cause unnecessary trouble for us. The Volturi guards daily patrolled Volterra and if they would scent so many unknown scents, including Shape shifter scents, it could not end well for us. They would become alert and our advantage of a surprise attack would fall flat. Florence was though not much, still more than an hour away, and so it was our safest bet.

We quickly nodded our heads in agreement as we sat in the cars provided and drove through the beautiful city of Florence. I chose to stick my head outside the window and admire the sites that we passed by. It was a completely different world in itself, and once again I came to miss Paul. He would have loved to be here, but then again maybe another time….. when it was safer.

A short while later we reached our destination- Four Seasons Hotel Firenze. I turned to look at Jasper in shock. This was where we would be staying? Wow….. I knew the Cullens were rich, but this was… beyond my expectations and it did not even look like they were flaunting their wealth. This just seemed their normal way of traveling. Levi once again tried to politely decline on our behalf, saying that this was all too much, but Carlisle genuinely smiled and said that this was a small thank you from his family for helping them out. It was no big deal and he was happy to arrange stuff for us, and when he put it like that there was not much that we could argue with. I was still a bit uncomfortable with all of this extravagance but Sam assured me that even though he did not like accepting favors from his mortal enemy any more than me, he could do with sleep and food. I could not argue with that.

"Uh," grumbled Rosalie as soon as our party walked into the massive lobby of this even massive hotel, that had left my eyes wide open with surprise "I could do with a shower."

Though she was talking to Alice at the moment, I too nodded my head in agreement. I felt dirty from the long hours of traveling, and taking a hot shower felt good. Even the idea of it felt good.

We were quickly shown to our rooms for freshening up, after which the vampires would all leave for a quick hunt to rejuvenate their energy and strength to the fullest, while we three would be eating in the hotel itself. The plan after that was simple…. and frightening. Once we were well rested and fed we would all run the short distance to Volterra, sticking to the trees, and then….. it was all left to luck.

The room arranged for me was the four seasons executive suite. It was huge and beautiful… far far bigger and better than what I had imagined in my mind. The color scheme of the room was olive green and a huge smile overtook my face looking at the king size bed that looked extremely comfortable to the eye. The view outside the room was that of the luscious gardens owned by the hotel and I stood in awe as I took in the sight of it. If only I had come here under better circumstances.

I took a quick shower, stepping out of my worn dirty clothes into a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, before running a brush through my hair. When I was satisfied with my appearance and the fact that I felt clean, I walked towards Levi's room where the three of us were supposed to meet. Levi and Sam had already arrived and were discussing battle strategies, and we quickly decided against going to the restaurants of the hotel. We opted for in room dining and after ordering handmade pasta and Schiacciata Tuscan bread which was sort of Classic Tuscan flat bread for the three of us- as they say 'When in Rome do like the Romans do', and so in Italy what better to try than the Italian cuisine, we once again settled to discuss our plan in overpowering Jane and Alec, the two which we were supposed to end. I would have to be ahead as I had the mental shield on me, and once we were sure that their powers did not work on us, Sam and Levi would jump on the witch twins with me helping in. We discussed attacking moves in detail for a while, thinking of all permutations and combinations that could guarantee us a win.

I briefly thought of calling Paul and telling him that I was fine. He would be worried for me, but decided against it. It would be early morning back home, and it made no sense to wake him up from his sleep. I would talk to him at night- Italy time, after we had completed the job we were here for.

Once we were done with our lunch we three decided to rest for a while and I walked back to my room, with the idea of fully taking advantage of the comfortable king size bed in my room, though sleep was hard to find. I shifted on my bed a few times before giving up and instead watching TV for a bit. Nothing in particular was on, but it was still enough to keep my mind from wandering down the pits of hell.

A little after four, I left my room and made my way to what I supposed was Jasper's room. All of us were supposed to meet there for discussing the plan head. I took a deep sigh in. It was time to go.

I quickly entered through the open room door and with a quick search found that almost everyone was already here. I nodded my head in acknowledgement at a few vampires who were cordial enough to respect my presence, and waited for the instructions ahead.

"Alice," said Carlisle looking at his daughter "You look troubled."

I too in my curiosity looked at Alice. She indeed looked troubled and worried. Had she seen another vision?

"Oh, Carlisle" She mumbled "I saw a vision when we were out hunting."

"Anything bad?" asked Jasper, taking a firm look of seriousness on his face. I felt bad for him. His mate was so near yet so far.

She shrugged in a way that said that she could not tell if it was exactly bad or not. Edward cuddled her close to him as she gathered her thoughts together before speaking.

"It was a sort of last minute thing," she sighed "I could not see the outcome of our fight, as the wolves block my visions, but I saw that if we went ahead with our plan for today, it would not end well for us…. even if we won the fight."

"What do you mean?" asked Levi.

Alice looked at her feet "Jane and Felix are not in Volterra at the moment. They are on an urgent mission in South America. They should be back tomorrow. Carlisle….." she paused hesitantly "We will have to postpone for a day. Jane is crazy. She is heavily brainwashed by Aro, and if we let her live, she will definitely come back to take revenge. Felix too is loyal to the leaders. We cannot take such a risk. We cannot let anyone go alive, at least not one who is sure to plan revenge."

Carlisle looked thoughtful for a moment. I sighed. I wanted to get done with this and go back home… go back to my Paul, but the way this was going; we would be stuck here till tomorrow. Jasper looked annoyed too but he knew that Alice was correct. Leaving Jane alive could prove very costly to us. Carlisle looked at the other vampires in the room. He asked for a quick vote to see what they thought, with most of them agreeing to postpone for a day. He then looked at Levi and me, both of us who reluctantly nodded our heads.

"It is decided then" said Carlisle "We will attack tomorrow instead of today."

And so it was decided. Everyone left to go back to their rooms. It was not exactly a day of relaxation, but what other choice did we have. I decided to push back my worries for the moment. It made no sense to spoil today by thinking of tomorrow. Sam and I decided to see the local sights and tour the city, and we walked by foot taking in the sheer newness and beauty around us. It actually felt good to bond with Sam like this…. like we were on an actual vacation. We joked, argued, laughed and shared stories of our childhood together. Levi joined us a while later and we had dinner at one of the local restaurants, once again munching on the delicious pizza, pasta and risotto amongst other items served.

By the time we made it back to the hotel I was exhausted, but still awake enough to take a relaxing bath in the bathtub provided in the bathroom. I added bubbles to the water, and just shut my eyes and enjoyed the silence for a while. I did not know what tomorrow would bring, but I tried to enjoy today to the fullest.

I tried ringing Paul's landline and even his mobile, but while one was left unanswered the other was switched off. I frowned. It was unlike Paul to switch off his phone, and at least not when he knew that I would call.

I looked at the time. It was nearly ten pm here and so it would be around one pm there. It was sort of confusing of why his phone would be switched off right now.

I thought of trying his mobile once again, but before I could, the events of this long day caught up with me, and I was fast fast asleep.

My last thought was of going back home and seeing everyone I loved once again.

A/N: I know many of you may not agree with my decision of Bella lying to Paul, but at the end of the day this is a story and there have to be a few ups and downs in the story to make it interesting. Please trust me- there is a lot yet to come. Any guesses of why Paul is not picking up his phone? I will give you a hint…. Bella is going to very surprised when tomorrow comes.

Also, on another note, I have close to two or three more chapters to go and an epilogue for this to end…. Thank you for reading.


	44. The beginning of the end (Part II)

Thank you to all those who read, reviewed, followed and favorite this story. Means a lot!

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 6- The beginning of the end (Part II)

Paul POV-

I was having a terrible day, and it was only morning yet. The rest of the day was still to come, and honestly, that thought scared the shit out of me. If my morning was like this…. how the fuck would be the rest of my day?

First, after a restless night of trying to sleep and failing miserably, I had somehow fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning, only to be woken up by the mother of all nightmares- meant to torture me.

I had often had such 'dreams' wherein I saw a silver wolf, who apparently was to be me, and a snow white wolf, who I now knew was Bella, and I also at times saw two pups in my dream… but never before had I seen such a dream.

I shuddered as I thought back to the contents of my said dream.

'_The silver furred wolf was once again in a search for something. He kept roaming around in the deep luscious forests, growling and howling in his desperation. He knew that something had happened….. something bad….. something that should never have happened. _

_He had finally thought that everything was going to be okay now, that somehow he had reached his happily ever after, that somehow__he and his mate would__live a long healthy happy life together…..but this had all been shattered in minutes. She was gone…_

_She had promised him that she would be back. His heart wanted to trust her. She would not lie to him. His mate loved him. She would never leave him… but then why would he feel this feeling of doom in his heart….. like his mate was in danger?_

_No, he had to find her…._

_He had to bring her back to him. _

_With this determination in mind the silver wolf once again started his search for her. He would scour the entire world if need be- Oceans, mountains, cities or valleys, nothing would be able to stop him from finding his mate. _

_Suddenly, he felt as if a boulder had been let loose on him, crumbling him beneath its weight. Emptiness now filled his pores. Where there had once been light there was only darkness now. He hated this….. he could feel the absence of his mate. He could always feel her presence, no matter the where and when. Where was she now? Why couldn't he feel her anymore? _

_He needed to find her. He needed to once again complete the hole that was now forming in his heart. He could not live without her. _

_With this, he emitted a long howl in the gloomy sky. He would find her and bring her back to him. There was no other option left.'_

Yeah, so you see my point. After waking up from this shit of a dream, I was even more uneasy than I had been the night before. I just wanted Bella back…. back in my arms where she belonged. Why did she have to go to meet those leech leaders? I understand she is the alpha and all, but still why couldn't she just send someone else in her place? That would have been so much more convenient, and easy on me.

I trusted her and believed in her and her capabilities, no doubt in that, but still I was a selfish fool. I wanted to keep her all to me.

Minutes after waking up from my nightmare of a dream, I remembered a conversation with Bella long ago. She had told me of how Old Ms. Ateara could consult with the spirits, and how she often saw dreams that hinted her about the future. She had also mentioned how Quil Sr. too shared this gift with his older sister. He was not as accurate as Old Ms. Ateara but he was experienced and could help too.

I had sighed, sitting up on my bed. This dream was sure to torture me, if I did not find out the meaning of it. I risked a glance at the time. It was hardly six in the morning. Would Bella be in Italy by now? She should have landed, shouldn't she?

It was of no use to shut my eyes and get some sleep. That ship had sailed and reached another port. I knew it was early, but what other option did I have. So, disturbing Quil Sr. was to be it. He was the only one who could give me some answers. Old Ms. Ateara lived somewhere deep in the woods. Nobody could find her if she didn't want to be found, and honestly, I had no time to waste in guesswork right now. I needed answers as soon as possible.

What did this dream mean? Was Bella in any danger? Or was my mind just playing tricks on me?

I had the fleeting thought of calling up Bella and talking to her, and I almost picked up my phone in excitement and need, but decided against it on the last minute. If this was all a trick of my mind, I did not want to worry her by telling her about this. It was better if she went there in front of their leaders with no lingering worry in her mind. I would talk to her once my mind was cleared of this doubt.

And with this in mind, here I was, walking down the narrow road leading to Quil Sr. house. Quil Sr. the third in line of Quil's- lived in this generation passed down house of his with his daughter in law Joy and grandson Quil the fifth. Quil the fourth had succumbed to an unexpected heart attack a few years back, one that had taken La push by shock as he had been so young and apart from his occasional love for everything fish, he tried to eat healthy. It was sad, no doubt, but what could be said of life and death.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I walked the last few steps in my short journey to the Ateara house. Hopefully Quil Sr. wouldn't mind my intruding much, though I was well aware that this was no time for a social call.

I had just entered his yard when my steps halted in shock. I had not expected to see this sight when I had decided to come over here this morning.

"I was waiting for you young wolf," she smiled, sitting with her arms crossed together on a chair, an anticipatorily look on her face.

"Old Ms. Ateara," I nodded my head in acknowledgement "I didn't know you were visiting Quil Sr."

This was better that I could have hoped for. She could give me much more answers that Quil Sr. would have been able to.

She shrugged "I am always there when I need to be, and I am not here to see my brother. I am here to see you. I heard there is something on your mind."

"How did you?" I questioned, taken aback by the surety in her words. She was not asking me, but was telling me that she knew that something was on my mind.

She just gave me a knowing smile in return "I always know when I am needed somewhere. Now, let's not delay this any longer than necessary. Tell me why you felt the need to see me this early in the morning?"

I sighed before opening my mouth "Is…. Is Bella okay? Is she safe?"

I asked the most important question first. Everything else could wait for its time. Nothing else mattered more than Bella's safety.

She smiled "And why do you think she is not safe?"

I gave her an 'isn't it obvious' look, before coughing and shaking my head. There was no need to piss the woman off. You don't bite the hand that tries to feed you. She had the power to give me answers, and I really needed those answers.

"Well, for starters, Bella is in Italy at the moment- visiting the leaders of her mortal enemy. I find that pretty worrisome, to be honest."

She made an hmm like sound "Will you believe me if I told you that she is fine?"

I shook my head almost instantly "No, not really….. I just have this sinking feeling that… that….."

I tried to form the sentence in my mind, in a way that would and could be understood by her or any other sane person, but was interrupted by her old yet strong firm voice.

"Tell me about the dream that you had." It was not a request but a command.

I looked at her open mouthed in disbelief "How did you…."

She shrugged "I thought we had affirmed by this point of time that I know things and thoughts before even the other person thinks of telling me so. I wouldn't necessarily call it a gift, but let's not stray away from the topic here. So, your dream," she looked at me in question.

"Right," I said hesitantly. Old Ms. Ateara was definitely one weird person.

I gulped, framing my words "I saw in my dream- my wolf form. He was searching for something in the woods. He was searching for Bella, I know of that. It was just that he could…. I could feel that there was something wrong with her. I needed to find her. I needed to see if she was okay. I needed to know if she was okay. There was this emptiness in my chest… that is never there."

I pretty much downplayed the intensity and worry in the dream, but decided against telling Old Ms. Ateara how anxious it had made me. She was sure to think I was crazy for blindly believing in a dream. Dreams were not meant to be taken this seriously.

She smiled once again "Now, under normal circumstances I would have told you that our dreams are nothing but a peek into our wishes, desires, feelings and worries, but I have a feeling that this is not the first time you have seen such a dream. Wish to elaborate?"

I sighed, once again abiding to the hidden command under her request. "The first time I saw a dream that had wolves in it was nearly six months ago. I was in Pittsburgh then. I ignored it at first, but as this same dream started recurring more frequently, and with the constant pull I could feel…. I decided to come here and see of why it was so. In my first dream, two wolves were running in the woods- laughing and playing along with one another. They were happy with one another. I also saw two pups in that dream. It was a picture of a complete happy family….."

"So, you think those two wolves are you and Bella?" she raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah," I shrugged "Bella has the same fur coat as the female wolf in my dream, and I am nearly confident that I will have a silver coat when I phase. I get the feeling that that wolf is me."

She nodded her head "One should never disregard their feelings without pondering over them first. Feelings, instincts, sixth sense- exist for a reason." "Tell me about your second dream."

I thought back to it, trying to remember the exact details before opening my mouth to share it with her "This was just after Bella's fight with the nomads, wherein she had got bitten. I saw the wolf- me, I was running through the woods searching for Bella. She was hurt, I could feel it. There was this intense need to see her, and she was actually hurt when I finally saw her." I shuddered, stating my point. The memory of her still lying form was still very fresh in my mind.

"And this is your third dream?" she confirmed.

I nodded my head "That I can remember off. I don't generally remember all of my dreams, but for some reason I tend to remember these ones."

She once again made an 'hmm' like sound as if she was contemplating on what I had told her.

"You are not a seer, Paul." was what she finally said.

I shrugged her off, sudden anger filling me "I know that."

I had never claimed to be an all knowing seer. It was ridiculous to even think so in the first place.

She smiled, her smile calming me down despite of the anger I felt "Have you seen any other dreams- regarding anybody else, that hinted towards the future?"

I shook my head instantly "No, but like I said I don't remember all of my dreams….. just these ones."

She nodded her head "Well, that is common. Everyone dreams, but not all remember it. I had heard of ancestors in our tribe who could see the events of the future in their dreams. Prophetic dreams would be the precise term. Though it is believed to be a hoax, there has always been magic in our tribe. Well, I am also a living breathing example of that magic that resides in our blood," she laughed a small laugh "The fact that you cannot see anybody else in those dreams of yours would signify towards the fact that you are not a seer."

"I already knew that." I mumbled bitterly.

She smiled, ignoring my rudeness "Though I have never heard of two people sharing such a connection before, I would not be quick to think of it as nothing. It is a powerful ability, nonetheless. We have never experienced two shape shifters mating with one another, and so we have no rule book to abide by. Has Bella mentioned of seeing any such dreams?"

I quickly shook my head "No."

She once again made an 'hmm' like sound "I guessed so," "I am surprised though that it was you who could feel this connection in the form of dreams, but then again it makes sense. She phased before you, and her wolf was calling to you. Add into that the fact that your wolf also craved our sacred lands."

"What does this mean though?" I asked after a minute of silence. I was really not in the mood for riddles here.

She smiled "I wish I had an answer for that. It is not a glimpse of the future, I can tell you that. My best guess would be that Bella's wolf subconsciously calls to your wolf. You are a mated pair, but still your wolves are yet to be one."

"You mean?" I raised an eyebrow in question. No she could not mean that, right? I futilely tried to erase the unintentional smirk on my face.

She gave me a stern look indicating that cracking jokes was probably the last thing on her mind at the moment "I am your senior, young wolf. Don't forget that. I still command respect."

I mumbled an apology in reply.

She nodded her head, not looking as pleased as before though.

"What I meant was," she continued "Yes, your wolf side will also have to get acquainted with one another, which naturally can only happen after you phase. So, I think that her wolf, unknown to her conscious knowledge, calls for her mate. This calling, though technically for the purpose of mating and creating wolf pups, also occurs when her wolf is in danger. Because you are not yet in a wolf form, and so would not be able to respond to her calls, they enter through your unconscious mind, in the form of dreams. They in no way indicate anything other than Bella's wolf calling for her mate, in a way that would reach you. It is completely subconscious on the human Bella's part. She does not know that her wolf is doing the calling. You need to understand that she and her wolf share a body and to some parts, even a mind, but still they are not fully one. Just like it will be with you and your wolf, you will learn to live in harmony though."

"But why doesn't this occur with Sam or Jared?" I questioned.

She shrugged "Only one member of their imprint pair is shape shifter. There is no scope for a mating of your kind."

"Then why do I see it from my point of view?" I asked, still confused "Shouldn't I see it as her wolf calling for me?"

She gave me a smug look "Have you ever witnessed a dream wherein you were not a part of it, maybe not in the lead but still somewhere in the sidelines? Your eyes were still seeing it and your ears were still listening to it. You cannot not be a part of 'your own dream'" she emphasized "Though Bella's wolf does the calling, you only get to witness the reaction of your dormant lying wolf. The actual call is understood only by him. The reaction to it is what you witness."

"Wow," I said nervously "I still don't understand much of this."

She nodded her head "It is just till you phase. Then you, as well as your wolves, will be able to converse."

"So wait," I said, as soon as a thought hit me hard "That means Bella is in danger. I could feel her absence in my dream. She was going away from me. There was a metaphorical soon to be literal hole in the place of my chest."

Old Ms. Ateara shied away from answering my question, and I knew my answer there and then.

"Where is she?" I questioned, anger and annoyance seeping through my body. Had she lied to me? I wanted to trust her, but then why was I feeling this restless?

"Paul," she said in a chastising tone.

"Where is she?" I repeated. I didn't care of what she thought of me. I wanted an answer, and I knew that she had the answer.

Old Ms. Ateara sighed before replying "Italy,"

"But," I gritted my teeth "I can hear the 'but' coming."

She shook her head "Paul, it is better if you don't know. If she wanted you to know, she would have told you…"

"Just tell me," I raised my voice in response. I knew that I was being rude, but at this point of time, I didn't care.

"Young wolf," her eyes shone with anger "You will not talk to me in that way."

"I need to know where she is." I forced my point.

"I told you she is in Italy." She took a deep breath in.

"And," I asked, not ready to give up.

"Oh, Taha Aki" She sighed "Fine, I will tell you. She is in Italy, yes, but she is there to fight their leaders. They are helping the Cullen family in saving the life of a few humans."

"Go on," I said slowly, my voice dangerously close to being considered menacing.

She shook her head as she started telling me of how Jasper had met with Bella, asking her for help and telling her of how one of his leech sisters had seen a vision of the future. Bella, being Bella, had quickly agreed to help, and so had Levi and Sam. Jared had refused, being the only sane person in my opinion.

"Is she crazy?" I asked out loud, my body shaking in anger "Does she have a death wish or something? I understand that she felt sympathetic towards those bloodsuckers, but still risking your life for them? Is she out of her fucking mind?"

"Paul," she tried to calm me down.

I was fucking enraged here. How could she lie to me and go? How could she risk her life like this? How could she leave me and go?

"I am going to Italy. I will get her back. I will not let her die." I stated to nobody in particular. It was meant for my own ears as much as it was meant for the person standing in front of me.

"That is stupidity!" she called out "She did not want you to act immaturely, and that is why she did not tell you this in the first place."

I shook my head, glaring at her "It may be stupidity, but still it is more mature and rational that what she did."

I had to leave for Italy. It was early morning here, so probably afternoon or evening there. I did not know what time they would be leaving for the enemy's liar. Would I even reach there on time with all of the flight coordination that I would have to do? I would have to leave right this minute. I did not have much on the name of savings, but I would work something out. I had to go to Italy.

"Paul, wait" I heard her voice calling to me, but I had no time to stop and listen. I had somewhere to be, and absolutely no time to waste. My mind was made. I was going to Volterra, Italy.

I made and simultaneously changed plans in my short journey back to my house. I did not know where to start at this point of time. I was so lost in my thoughts, walking through the route, when I accidently banged into someone.

"Oh," I stumbled back, looking up to see none other than Leah Clearwater standing in front of me "What are you doing here?" I asked rudely. Didn't she move to Forks months back? I was really not in the mood for manners at the moment that was for sure.

"I stayed the night at my parents. I couldn't sleep, so thought of going for a walk. What are you doing up so early?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"Yeah, right, never mind I asked." was my answer as I started to walk out of there, before a thought suddenly stopped me in the way. Sam was with Bella in Italy, wasn't he?

"Did you know?" I asked quickly, turning to look at her.

"Did I know what?" was her confusion filled reply. She actually looked completely out of the loop of what I could be talking about.

"Of the whereabouts of your dearest Boyfriend or fiancé, or whatever the fuck Sam is?" I spat out rudely.

She looked pissed off, as if mentally hurling abuses at me "He is in Italy, and who are you to ask me this question?"

I gave out a short laugh "So, what did he tell you and go- that they are going to sign a treaty, or did he come up with another creative lie?"

She glared at me, mumbling bitterly "Excuse me?!" "I know that he is Italy to sign a treaty with the vampire leaders, and unlike you, I actually do trust the person I love and want to spend the rest of my life with. I know that he would not lie to me."

I scoffed at that "Keep telling yourself that and you will start believing in it eventually. Anyways, I have not made any such promise to save Sam's life, so well, I should get going. I have a flight to catch."

"Wait," she called out, just as I had taken my first step ahead in the direction of my house "What do you mean by that? You can't just tell me half of the matter and walk away like that."

I laughed a fake laugh "Why don't you ask your dearest father about what I am talking? I am sure he would know."

Without saying another word to me, she quickly whipped out her cell phone and punched in a few numbers, getting it to her ear after dialing the number.

"Hello Dad," she said into the phone, walking a little far away from where I stood, clearly indicating that she did not want me to eavesdrop over her conversation. I rolled my eyes, deciding to stay put for this.

She muttered something into her phone, her voice lowering and raising at parts in the conversation. I could see the expressions over her face change with every word that Harry spoke. Fear, worry, anger, trepidation, hurt and rage.

"I will talk to you later." She finally mumbled into the phone, turning to look at me "I am coming with you to Italy."

This was not a question. I could clearly see the determination and anger on her face. She was coming with me, and I really didn't have much of an option in this decision.

"Okay," I said with a nod of the head "Let's go."

We started walking in the direction of my house making plans of how we would go on with this. We would need to pack a few essentials, a set of spare clothes, and not to forget our passports. I had never been out of the country before, and had never imagined that my first time would be under such circumstances.

"Oh, look whose here?" said an evilly voice, the owner of which had blocked our path.

"There goes any possibility of having a decent day down the drain," whispered Leah, sarcastically, making me chuckle despite of the mood I had been in.

"Emily and Jane, what a pleasure to see you, not," said Leah in a fake cheerful voice.

Honestly I was too surprised to see them and that to together. I had not known that they were friends, but I guess Birds of a feather flock together.

"Cut the crap, Leah," said Emily "Where is my man? I am here to see Sam. I went to my future house in Forks, only to see it empty."

'Was she serious?' I raised an eyebrow. Apparently she was.

Leah laughed loudly, fakeness dripping from her laugh, before she stopped suddenly, realizing that Emily had not been cracking a joke.

"Oh my," she took a fake apologetic look over her face "Was that not a joke? When did Sam become your man, and when did my house become your future house?"

Emily frowned "I will laugh exactly like this when you have to stand as a guest in my wedding with Sam, and he became my man the day the fates decided to bind us together. Now, I need to see him. Where is he?"

Leah raised an eyebrow at that, looking completely nonchalant "If he was your man, like you claim so, you would know where he was. You would not have to ask me the answer to this." she then turned to look at me "Though I am always willing to laugh at this live comedy in front of us, right now is really not the time to do so. Let's get out of here."

I nodded my head with a smirk on my face. Leah had balls, I would give her that.

"Hey Paul," whined the clingy girl in front of me "Remember me?" she said with a wink.

I scoffed in disgust. Of course, how could I forget the girl who refused to take a hint? We had spent one night together, and she had then started behaving like she had some right over me.

"Jane," I nodded my head. The last time I had seen her had been months back at that party, and I had made it a point to avoid her since.

She giggled overly sweetly "You know Emily, for months I thought of how to teach Paul a lesson, of how to show him the value of what he had lost, but then I realized what worse could happen to someone who was dating Bella Uley. Well, how much more could a person fall, you know. She is neither pretty nor intelligent nor rich….." she trailed off, a move that worked in her benefit and saved her from losing her head as I glared at her.

How dare she talk of Bella like that? My Bella was perfect. Kind, beautiful, sweet, caring, humble…

"I know what you mean," said Emily "I saw her the other day in a t-shirt that exposed her arms and hands. Gosh, they are littered with ugly red scars. So ugly, I tell you."

"You," Leah shouted before I could "How dare you talk of her like that? She is a much better person than you could have even dreamt of being, and those are battle scars. Something you are not even brave enough of getting."

I just stood there, staring at the three women surrounding me. I had never felt such anger before in my life. How dare anyone call my Bella or any part of hers ugly? She was perfect. There was no other word to describe her. Nobody could compare to who she was internally as well as externally.

Emily laughed a loud laugh "Says the girl who fate doesn't think worthy of being with her own boyfriend. I mean come on, how bad can you be that the spirits have to intervene to get your boyfriend away from you. Or maybe, you cannot give Sam the happiness that I could give him that is why I am his chosen mate and not you?"

I could see Leah fighting the same anger that I was currently going through. She was shaking in anger from head to toe.

"Or maybe," commented Jane "He is with her out of sympathy. Have you seen how she looks? She almost looks like a man with the physique and muscles she has on, but then again, Bella too looks less like a woman these days with her haircut and those ragged shorts she wears at all times. Gosh, I pity Sam and Paul. I will never understand how they could choose them over us."

Emily laughed at that as Jane too started chuckling with her.

"Fake beauty can never transcend the real kind," Leah whispered, her body blurring with anger "They love us for who we are. You will never understand this because you don't know what true love means."

"Leah, let's get out of here." I said through gritted teeth. Warmth was spreading through my entire body. Warmth I didn't understand quite right.

Leah slightly nodded her head as we started walking away from those two evil twins. Like Leah had said, they would never understand that when you love someone you love them with their flaws and with their strengths. You love them for who they are, not for what they look like. Physical beauty fades with time, but the inner you always remain.

Bella and Leah were beautiful. Physical attributes did not make a person beautiful or ugly. It was the person you were underneath all of that, not to say that they weren't beautiful externally. They were much much prettier than the fake girls out of there like Jane or selfish manipulative girls like Emily.

"Yeah…. Yeah, run away you both. When the truth comes out cowards are the first to hightail their way out." Laughed Emily "Leah, you are well aware that Sam will leave you one day and come to me,"

"And Paul," Jane continued "When you get bored of being with someone like Bella and want a real woman, give me a call."

That was it!

I turned to look at her. How dare she say something like this? If she values her life even a bit, she will run out of here as soon as possible.

I could feel something happen within me. My body was shaking and warmth was spreading deep within my pores. I could feel this warmth… this heat cover my body as my bones shifted and twisted, as if to accommodate a new change that was now coming.

Shit! Was I phasing?

Was this how it felt to phase?

I opened my mouth to protest against the pain that was overtaking my body, when all of a sudden, with a loud growl, the surface on which I stood changed slightly, my blurred vision showing me a sight I had never thought of seeing, for where Leah had stood, there now lay a light grey wolf shaking her head like a dog.

"Run Jane, Run." I heard Emily shout as the both of them with terrified expressions on their face ran out of there.

"No, stop." I started to run after them. They knew the secret, well Emily had always known, but Jane was an outsider. They had to be stopped.

I had taken exactly two steps ahead when I fell on my knees in anguish. I tried shouting but no voice left my mouth. Something within me was telling me to let it go, to not fight this. It will be easier said that voice.

Leah was running around and howling like an animal gone crazy, and knowing that giving into this would be the wisest thing to do, I quickly shut my eyes, letting nature do its job. Very soon I could feel my body change into one of an animal and with a loud jump I stood on four legs instead of two.

I opened my eyes. I could see everything much clearer and brighter than before. I looked at my paws in amazement. It was done. I was a wolf.

"Oh crap," whined a voice in my head "Why does this have to happen when I am the only wolf available for guidance?"

"Jared?" I questioned. I had known about the pack mind, but I had never expected it to be like this. I could read every thought that Jared and Leah were thinking of.

I did not want to think of Kim like that or Sam, for that matter.

Yeah, this was going to be a pain in my ass.

"Welcome to the pack." said Jared with a mental sigh.

"Pack," Leah frowned "Why have I phased? I did not want to phase."

"Bella is a wolf." I reminded her "The Clearwater lineage gets the gene from all three- Uley, Black and Ateara. Bella has one and she phased."

"I did not even want this." she cried out.

"Jared," I ignored Leah for the moment "Teach me how to phase back. I need to leave for Italy."

He was quiet for a few minutes, as if he was reading my mind, which he was for that matter.

"You sure of this?" he asked "I tried to tell them that this is not our fight."

I just nodded my head. I had no time to debate over these things with him.

"Teach me too. I am going with Paul. Sam is there."

Jared sighed "Okay, but I have no experience over this. I will just show the memories of my first phase. Bella and Levi are obviously more trained to help in phasing back."

Memories filtered through my mind. I could clearly distinguish that these were not my memories and I was only a spectator to the movie playing in my head.

"Think human. That is the trick." said Jared.

I nodded my head, taking a deep breath in. The sooner I do this the sooner I can be on my way.

"Oh," Jared interrupted my first attempt to phase back. He looked nervous for some reason. "I know I can't help much, but you are new wolves. It is not safe to go on such a dangerous mission without any training. Like I said I don't have much training, but I can show you our previous fights. You can learn the basics….. at least of how to dismember a vampire, if need be."

I nodded my head. I could hear Leah agreeing for it. It was a good idea. We don't know what we were about to phase. Protecting Bella and Sam and getting them back safely was our priority, but it could always help to know how to fight a vampire.

"Great," I said enthusiastically "We don't have much time though. Show me how to fight and phase back, and then we will be on our way to Volterra, Italy."


	45. The last leg of this journey

Thank you catgrl, MammaNita4, brankel1, rachel625, .7334 and electrogirl88 for your reviews.

Part V- Togetherness

Chapter 7- The last leg of this journey

I stood facing my mortal enemy, a sneer on their pale stone like face. The deep red eyes of the killer in front of me were boring into me, silently offering me one last chance to accept defeat and surrender, with the promise of being gifted an easy death. I growled back in fury. I was not here to surrender. I was not here seeking for an easy death. I was here on a mission. I was here to kill, and if I were to pay with my life I would readily do so, if it meant that this killer in front of me would be punished for their wrongdoings. It was nothing personal. I did not even know this person enough to play judge, but from what I had heard, I knew that she should have seen it coming. She had killed and tortured enough innocents in her life to not expect Karma to come after her. She had taken pleasure in draining those innocent young children and crying pregnant women or those sole earning men of their families who had begged her to let them live, and now it was finally her turn to get what was coming for her, and if I was being honest, I did not feel a bit bad for her. Like I said before it was nothing personal, but this was retribution. Every evil ends one day, no matter how strong, powerful or invincible it sounds, and today by playing my small part in this retribution, I hoped to end this evil once and for all. 'With great power comes great responsibility' was a famous saying I was very familiar with, and today I had realized that for all those who took the power but neglected their responsibilities or took undue advantage of said power, an end did come, an end that was far less desirable than of the other alternatives, but was a punishment for losing your 'humanity'. You did not need to be human to have humanity was a lesson I had learnt from people like Carlisle and Esme or even from Jasper who showed that they were still humane despite of what their destiny had thrown at them, and so no excuse that this mortal enemy had for her transgressions held valid in my eyes.

One word resounded through the room, gaining everyone's attention. I did not know who said it but immediately everything erupted in a hazy blur around me. My sole concentration was on the blonde haired vampire in front of me. She had crouched in her attacking position, and I too stood ready to attack. She glared at me making me growl back at her. The fight was about to begin. I did not know what would be the outcome of this fight, but I only hoped and prayed that I would come out as the winner.

'Attack,' said Levi's voice in my head, and then I too joined the hazy blur around me.

X-X-X-X-X-X

I had woken up far too early this morning, or actually, the real term that could be used would be that I had hardly slept a wink last night. After my initial exertion, combined with the sort of jet lag and my bodily reaction to the time difference, I had woken up in the early hours of the morning, following which nothing I did could grant me a few more hours of sleep. Finally after hours of pondering over the inevitable and typing and deleting a message with the purpose of talking to Paul, I gave up and changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old t- shirt which compensated for my workout attire. Back at home whenever I felt the need to let loose and just run it out, I would just phase and let my wolf do the needful, but here that was not that much of a possibility. For starters I was not even familiar with the surrounding areas and I could end up giving the locals a fright if I was not careful in maintaining my secrecy while phasing back and again. So staying human was it. Apparently the hotel I had been staying in was known to have an amazing in house gymnasium and so I decided to burn some calories the human way. Running on the treadmill was in no way similar to running outside in the peace and security of the nature around, but it did its job leaving no complains. For the next hour or so I divided my time between various exercises in the futile attempt to get rid of the feeling of doom that lay heavy on my mind but it was hard to get rid of. I somehow managed to at least push it to the back of my mind so as to not hurt myself in my inattentiveness. I had quick healing on my side, but still it was not worth taking the risk. My almost painful workout session had finally ended with a glance at the time. It was getting late and I did not have the time to waste. After showering and eating a quick breakfast of fruits and toast, I could not bear to eat anything more or comparatively filling, we all had once again assembled in Jasper's room to discuss over the decided plan. It was more of a routine to once again make sure that everyone knew what they were getting into and knew what their role would be in this fight. After doing all the needful and making sure that we were ready for this, Alice who had confirmed that Jane and Felix were back in town had given us her seer 'go ahead' for our journey. I had finally left my room sometime after noon, hoping and praying to whoever would listen that I would get to come back from that fight safe, or at least alive. I had thought and rethought over my decision of calling Paul but his phone was still switched off for some reason, and I just did not feel like leaving him a message, though I was heavily tempted to tell him that I loved him and hear it from him in return. I thought of calling Allison and asking her if everything was alright, but then decided not to worry her more than she already was. No doubt she would ask about my actual whereabouts, and I was in no mood to lie to her….. at least not now when there was no certainty…..

I also had to do the tedious task of keeping my thoughts as optimistic as possible. It would do me no good to keep thinking over everything negative that could happen to me. One of the vampires in our army- Siobhan had the ability to favor a decision from her line of thought, and she heavily believed in the power of positive thinking. She kept reinforcing to us of why it was important to think and believe that everything good will happen to us… something to do with vibes and how staying positive affects our mental health, but either way this was a tedious task that I had to do.

We had finally left the hotel for the Volterra castle, deciding to run the hour long distance instead of relying on the common usual form of transport- cars. It was easier, faster and more convenient was what Jasper had argued when the plan was being made. Cars would just cause an unnecessary hurdle on our way, plus it was not like any of us needed it to travel. We had first walked to the closest shelter of trees that we could find which was not surrounded by houses or in notice of the general human population, and after walking for a mile in our human form so as to avoid any sort of suspicion, the three of us had phased, burying our clothes in a waterproof cloth bag under one of the big noticeable trees. Noticeable so that we would be able to easily find them on our return, either way we knew that our scent would stick to them for long, but still this was more for dual safety than otherwise….. in case it rained and washed out our scents.

I had shaken my white furred head as we prepared to run the distance from Florence to Volterra. The short journey was spent in silence. Everyone knew and worried of what was coming. There was no need to lighten the tension in the air with idle chit chat. We had followed a formation with Jasper and his brother Peter, who were the most experienced out of all of us, in the front, Peter's wife Charlotte, Garrett, his mate Maggie and Edward a step behind them. Then it was Rosalie, Emmett and us three wolves, and right after us Carlisle, Esme, Eleazar, Carmen and Alice. The Romanians and Alistair were the last in the formation. Alistair was still, even now, reluctant in joining in the fight as he was just not willing to bring himself in the spot, and from observing the Romanians and their fighting skills, I knew that they could not be relied on much. Even Esme who could not fight at all was better than them, and that is saying something. Either way it was a known fact that from the vampire side Jasper, Peter, Charlotte, Garrett, Maggie, Edward and Emmett would be doing most of the fighting. Rosalie and Alice had never bothered to learn how to fight in their long life living with the Cullens, and Carlisle and Esme just didn't have it in them to mercilessly take lives.

Sam's thoughts were fixated on Leah as he had run through the woods. Their life had been a kind of a rollercoaster ride these past few months- filled with ups and downs. Firstly Sam had not been able to tell Leah the truth of what was happening to him and then the mess that had occurred with his imprinting on Emily. Now finally when things were finally getting better between them both, this had come up, and he had once again lied to Leah. She was never going to forgive him for this, was his biggest worry at the moment.

I too shared the same worry as him. I hated lying like this to Paul, but knew that I had no other choice at the moment. I only wished that he would understand enough to forgive me for this. A short while back when we had been having a serious discussion revolving around our relationship and what all misunderstandings and confusions we had passed through, we had decided as a rule to never lie or knowingly hide something from the other. That was just a free pass to cause problems… and all so soon I had broken that made promise of not hiding stuff from him. A wave of guilt and shame had passed over me, but I had consoled myself stating that I was doing this to save him….. so that he would not suffer. I just hoped that he would be willing to listen to my reasoning.

Levi's thoughts on the other hand had revolved around his young days with Ephraim Black and Quil Ateara the second. He was remembering the fighting tricks that they had picked up in those days, and wondering if Ephraim had known that this was what was coming. He thought of us and how once again we were three of us in this fight- two of his descendants fighting with him.

Our short quick run had ended in the outskirts of Volterra, Italy. The plan from here ahead was simple, and in a way filled with risks. We were going to be dividing ourselves in groups of three. According to Carlisle who had lived in the Volturi castle for decades and so was familiar with every entrance of it, there were three entrances to the grand Volturi castle, spread over acres and built over a hill. The first 'main' entrance was the public entrance and was guarded by humans instead of vampires. This entrance was used for the 'tours' that they conducted to get their meals. The reason that they had chosen humans for this was simple- to keep the façade of normalcy for an unsuspecting passerby. The human guards at the door were aware of their true nature, like all the other humans in the castle, including laundry staff and cleaning staff. They were those unsuspecting humans who had somehow witnessed the true nature of one of the guard members while they were feeding or running at a speed beyond human capacity, or had somehow found out of the true identity of the leaders. When they had begged to be forgiven, Aro had laid upon them this chance- serve the Volturi and remain human, with the hope that they would be given the chance to go home one fine day, though according to Carlisle that day would never come if Aro had anything to say. Their thoughts were regularly checked by Aro who could read minds, and if they were caught revealing to anybody about the true nature of the owners living in this castle, they would suffer a fate worse than death.

The second entrance was by far the most dangerous one. It was through one of the small dark abandoned alleys. It was the entrance for only the vampire population that resided in the castle, and was at all times guarded by two vampires of the lower guard. It was the entrance that the guard members used when they wanted to go out to feed or patrol the city during the night.

The third and the rarest of the entrance was their garage entrance which was right below the castle. Over the years the Volturi who had a fondness for cars- both antique and new, motorbikes and trucks, had accumulated several which were placed in their this massive garage. The biggest advantage of this entrance was that it was not guarded. The only security they had was in the form of a number code lock, the code of which according to Carlisle had never changed in all those years. This entrance was only used to the Volturi guard and the masters, and so they had felt the need to place any sort of security over here.

Another thing that would work in our favor was that there were no cameras or any form of security alarm system in the Castle. Aro had believed himself to be too superior to worry about the petty things that humans worried about, and so this would definitely work in our favor.

The three groups that we had divided ourselves in were as follows- the team that would be attacking from the gate guarded by humans would be led by Carlisle. He had proposed that there was no need to fight or force them to let us go in. They knew of the real identity of vampires and could easily be convinced to stand out of the way for the sake of their own lives. In this group there were to be Carlisle, Esme, Eleazar, Carmen, Rosalie, Maggie and Edward, Edward solely for the reason of reading their mind and finding out of who all were inside the castle and where.

Jasper, Peter, Charlotte, Garrett and we three wolves were going to be entering from the second entrance- the one guarded by vampires. At any given time there were two or at max three vampires guarding that gate, and so between us seven it would not be a problem. Another reason why so many of us were entering through this entrance was also that this entire route would be filled with the lower guard vampire members, and so it would be required.

The third and final group led by Emmett Cullen would have Alice, Alistair, Siobhan, Liam and the Romanians with him. They would be entering through the garage entrance, using one of the lifts to enter the castle.

All three of our groups were supposed to meet near one of the big halls that was used as a meeting room by the Volturi leaders. On any normal day that was where the leaders and the Elite guard members were.

Once all the plans had been made and the groups had been successfully divided, our group led by Jasper, passed the small abandoned alley, glad for the fact that no humans visited these parts. Three horse sized wolves could hardly act inconspicuous.

The castle gate could hardly be considered a gate. It was a single door, which gave out a shady kind of feeling to it. At a distance from where we stood observing, we could see two guards standing by the door. One male had shoulder length blonde hair and was thin in his built, while the other male had cropped black hair and too did not look like much of a fighter. Though we were not sure of the lower guard members having any important power, I had firmly placed my shield over Levi and Sam.

Jasper's one word 'Ready?' followed by an intake of a deep breath had been our only clue before we had the left the shadows to attack on the unsuspecting guards. Peter handled the blonde male, while Levi made quick work of the other one. Charlotte who had the matches with her had then burnt their parts, before we all had made our way in of the castle.

'Huh! This was easier than I had imagined.' had been my only thought as we had made it inside the dark narrow corridor of the castle. The castle had several floors and wings to it, and the first few minutes of ours were spent finding out our exact position. Though that peace had quickly been broken when a lower guard vampire had shouted, alerting the others of the presence of four vampires and three werewolves. It had then been a blur of arms and legs as close to six or seven guards had appeared in front of us. Each one of us had one opponent to face.

The opponent that stood facing me had golden hair that cascaded down her back. She was wearing a shimmery red dress that looked way out of place. Her high heels and loud make up did not help in uplifting her image in my eyes. She did not look like her fighter….. or at least that was what her face said from the way she was looking at me. The smirk that she had then placed on her nervous face tried to convey otherwise.

There was no time to talk or listen; I had attacked her even before she could lift her well manicured hand to defend. With one quick move of mine, her left hand was pulled away from her. She had then used her right hand nails to scratch onto my fur as she tried kicking me hard, but I had jumped over her, using my body weight in my advantage, and had pulled her head away from her torso. I had then stood to observe the others fighting. Jasper had made it clear that each one was to fight only one, at least at this base level. His opinion was that everyone had their decided strategy in mind when it came to fighting, and it would do no good to forcibly change that strategy, so unless help was specifically asked, we had to fight only our opponent. The others had too made quick work of the other vampires, and we had made our way inside the castle, following the same formation in which we had entered.

All the vampires who tried to stop us were landed with the same fate and in minutes our group had reached our decided meeting point. Emmett's group had already arrived and Carlisle's group arrived minutes after ours. After assuring that neither group had had any problems in reaching till here, we had made our way to the huge hall in the centre of the castle where the leaders and the elite guard would be.

Carlisle and Levi had stood in the front, with the rest of us following as Jasper had dismembered the sole guard standing outside the door of the hall, pushing it open and letting us all enter. The room was huge on first sight. It had massive ceilings and ornately decorated walls. The entire ambience resembled one of the older royal courts in the time period of the older centuries. Three vampires were sitting on a slightly raised podium, with around ten other vampires surrounding the room from their respective places. It looked like they had been in a meeting with the leaders, and looked shocked at being interrupted.

"Carlisle," Aro had slowly drawled from his place on one of the thrones in the room. Two other men were sitting beside him on their separate thrones, one with pitch black shoulder length hair and a bored expression on his face and the other with white chin length hair and a firmly placed scowl on his face. His eyes though particularly shone with evilness. "It is unexpected to see you here. I was not aware that you were visiting us."

Carlisle sighed "I wish this visit would have been under better terms."

Aro had nodded his head, ignoring his anger filled brother's mutterings too low for any of us to hear.

"Would you like to explain why you have created any army and attacked my guard?" he said finally, his tone indicating that this was not exactly an option or request "I can give you one chance to explain before I try you for mutiny."

A loud unanimous growl had pierced from our side listening to Aro's words. We would die fighting instead of dying through his hands.

"I had not expected this from you, old friend." said Carlisle "Let those humans go. We don't need to fight. This can end peacefully."

Aro laughed a short bitter laugh "You started the fight, and I believe in providing justice. You killed members of my guard. I knew you had a treaty with the local shape shifters, but I wasn't expecting you to betray us by taking their support. They are our enemies."

Quite ironic isn't it that Aro believes in providing justice?

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. I will save those humans, even if it means ending you." said Carlisle remorsefully, silently indicating to us all that we should get ready to fight.

Aro laughed a maniacal laugh "Jane, finish them." he said pointing towards a small female with deep red eyes and blonde hair tied in a tight bun.

"With pleasure," smirked Jane, taking a step forward.

Almost on cue, all the vampires on our side took a step behind; letting us three wolves come ahead, with me in the centre.

"Bella, shield." said Levi through the mind link.

I silently nodded my head. It was already up.

Jane laughed loudly "Oh, so you want these mutts to die first? Foolish useless animals,"

I gritted my teeth at her, daring her to try.

She took on a firm expression on her face as she muttered the word "Pain,"

I shut my eyes tightly, concentrating on my shield. I could feel something poke against it, but I pushed it back using all the force I could. I opened my eyes once again when I was sure that it was over, her power had not worked against me or either of us wolves.

She scowled, trying once again, only to attain the same results.

"Master," she cried out looking at Aro "These mutts are blocking me. It is not possible. Nobody can block me."

Aro and all the others on their side looked shocked by this revelation. Apparently this had never happened before.

"Alec," said Aro, pointing towards a young boy who was standing by the side. He nodded his head and tried to use his infamous power of taking away a person's senses, but was as expected unsuccessful in his attempt.

"Bella," Levi spoke in my mind "I have consulted with Edward. It is time."

I nodded my head. I very well knew of what was to happen ahead, and I was prepared for this.

I took a step ahead in Jane's direction. Her scowl was pointed towards me as she too crouched in an attacking position. In the periphery of my vision I was aware that the vampires of our side had taken their first step ahead in attacking the other vampires in the room, leaving Jane and Alec for us three wolves.

We formed a semi circle around the witch twins- one pounce and it would all be over. Levi stood at my left and Sam on my right. All three of us had gritted our teeth in anger and aggression. It was as if a coordinated dance was going on between us- our steps were coordinated with one another, and so were the expressions on our face. This was going to go in our favor, I was sure of that.

Jane and Alec tried to look intimidating but it was clear from their faces and their taken postures- they did not know how to fight. My eyes were stuck on Jane though. She was the bigger target out of them both, and so would be the first to be taken out.

"Bella," said Levi "You and Sam against Jane. I will attack Alec. Make sure your shield stays put."

I gave him a slight nod in reply, taking a deep breath in, before Levi slightly diverted his steps towards where Alec stood, while Sam and I kept going forward in a straight line.

"On the count of three- pounce," I told Sam, and after receiving his nod, let my instincts do their job. With one quick pounce both Sam and I had jumped on Jane, surrounding her from both the sides. She squirmed at her place, trying to get some kicks in, but our instincts were faster. First her arms and then her legs quickly fell off. I spat out the rancid tasting part, throwing it off in the corner, from where it would be burned with the body parts of the other vampires. Jane was quickly nothing more than ash. I smiled looking at Sam. It was over. She was dead. I took a glance at Levi, who too had ended the evil rule of the other witch twin.

I then looked around the room. Everywhere I looked it was a blur of bodies. The sounds of growling, snarling, grunting and screeching were all around as bodies flew towards one another faster than the wind, ripping and tearing at whatever they could get in their grip.

Levi soon joined into the fight, catching the Volturi guard unaware, and even Sam soon joined in. A new determination had filled in our side of the army. We were winning, and this was a bigger motivation than anything else. The taste of win was too close for us to let it go now.

"Bella," Sam's loud shout entered my mind. He looked worried for some reason. Through his eyes I saw how a vampire was mid flight, about to jump on me.

With scared eyes I turned to look above, towards the vampire who was pouncing at me. It would be too quick….. if his hands wrapped around me, I would not be able to do anything. It would be over for me….

I took a few deep breaths, trying to think of a way to get out of this. It had probably been only a few seconds since Sam had warned me of the danger quickly approaching me, but it truly felt like several slow minutes.

All of a sudden, faster than wind, a silver wolf came flying from the other side, making me crouch at the last moment, and mid air pounced on the vampire who was about to attack me. They both- the wolf and the vampire fell to the ground with a loud thud, and a fight between them then started, as I stared at them in shock.

Another wolf, a small grey one, had also joined into the scene, and was currently fighting besides Sam, against a female vampire with blonde shoulder length hair and a nasty scar running down her face.

I glanced at the silver wolf again. He was big, much bigger than me, and looked like a fighter from the first sight itself. He gave out an aggressive vibe….. and there was something just too familiar about him.

"Paul," I asked hesitantly. Was this Paul?

A growl sounding like yes was my only reply. My eyes were wide as I stared at him. His fur was so shiny, and looked so soft. He was an exceptionally handsome wolf; I blushed despite of the circumstances we were currently in. I admired his fighting stance for a minute or two. He radiated power and oozed sexiness while at it.

I blushed once again, scolding myself internally as I realized that he could clearly hear my thoughts at the moment.

Ignoring everything else for the moment I once again went back to fighting the enemies in front of us, ripping and tearing everything that came in sight.

Very soon it was all over, a calming silence fell over us. I looked around me- dead bodies surrounded us, the few survivors who were still standing. I mentally counted our numbers. Apart from us three- and the two wolves that had later joined us, Peter and Charlotte were alive and so were Garrett and Maggie. Siobhan stood alone nursing her wounds. I could see Edward and Alice in one corner. Rosalie, Emmett and Esme were with them, and so were Carmen and Eleazar. I could not see the Romanians anywhere, or Alistair, but he probably had chickened out even before the fight started.

Mainly I could not find Jasper or Carlisle. Where were they?

My question was answered a minute later when they stormed into the throne room with the human girls by their side. They looked physically fine, apart from a few rare scratches.

"Carlisle," Esme rushed towards her husband "Where were you?"

Carlisle put a calming arm around her "When it was clear that we were winning, Jasper asked me if I could accompany him to the dungeons to free the girls, and check on them for injuries. They are fine," he looked at the rest of us "Physically at least, but are traumatized at the moment. We are taking them back with us to Forks. They know about us, and so cannot go back to their worlds, at least not without being talked to first."

Levi nodded his head in agreement, giving them his permission. It was for the best. Carlisle was a doctor. He could help them. God only knows what all they must have experienced in these last few days.

The silver wolf came and stood by me while the grey wolf did the same with Sam. I was not exactly clear of the identity of this wolf, but I had my doubts. Till now I had not heard the voice of this wolf in my head though to be sure of it.

"Paul," I asked in my head "Is this you?" I asked hesitantly.

His dark eyes that were filled with emotion pierced into mine, and I had my answer.

"How come….." I trailed off. When had he phased? How? What was he doing here? How did he know what was actually happening here?

I heard a mental sigh "We need to talk…. But not here."

I nodded my head in agreement. This was definitely not the place for our talk. Many of the vampires of our army had already left for going back to the hotel and the few who were left were in the process of leaving too.

"We will meet you at the hotel." I told Sam and Levi through the mind link as Paul and I exited the castle. It looked empty and abandoned now. All the vampires that had once lived in this castle were currently ash.

What would happen to this castle? Who would rule the vampire world now, I had no answers to this, but probably the Cullens would take the call as they had won this fight against the Volturi.

"Where are your clothes?" Paul suddenly asked me through the mind link.

"Under a tree…. a little while from here,"

He nodded his head as we started running in silence. No words were shared between us, just comfortable silence….

"Here," I pointed to the tree as soon as we reached that spot a little while later "Where are your clothes?"

"A little ahead of here," he said with a shrug.

I nodded my head as I removed my set of clothes from under its place of burial and quickly phased back, nervously walking back to where Paul stood in his wolf form waiting for me. We walked the rest of the distance to where his clothes were buried in silence, before he too found them and phased back into his human form.

"Bella," he said coming out from behind the tree, once he had phased back to human.

I ran into his arms as soon as he was in my sight. I needed to feel him close to me. I wanted to breathe in his familiar scent as he ran a comforting hand through my hair, making me sigh out in relief. The relief of having him back near me…. the relief of being alive…. the relief of knowing that we were safe and together. His hands came to wrap around me as a few tears trailed down my eyes, falling on his naked chest. I had missed him so much.

"I am so sorry," I murmured, hiding my face in his chest.

He nodded his head, his arms tightening around me. He knew what I was apologizing for.

"Why did you lie to me?" he finally asked.

"I love you," I replied simply "I thought that it would be for the best. I could not lose you."

"You won't," he said softly "and please never lie to me again, even if you think it is for my own good."

"I promise," I whispered through my tears "Aren't you angry at me?" I had to ask. I needed to know.

"I was," he replied "But when I saw that bloodsucker about to attack you, I could not stray angry on you any longer. Protecting you was far more important than being upset at you."

I nodded my head, looking into his eyes for the first time since I had seen him today "How did you know that I was here to fight the leaders?"

Suddenly a whirlwind of emotions passed through my body, making me gasp at the impact it had caused. I felt stuck at my place. I could not look away from Paul. It was as if a new permanence had set its place in our lives. He was mine, just like I was his….Forever.

I gasped, coming out of that haze "Did you just imprint on me?"

He looked nervous and confused "I guess I did. It feels different. I feel different…. a good different."

I jumped into his open arms once again, this time a massive grin on my face, though it was expected that he would imprint on me, this just felt good now that it was confirmed.

"I love you," I said, my happiness leaping to new levels.

He laughed, his voice lighter than ever "I love you too,"

He brought his lips down to meet mine and they met in a passionate kiss filled with love, happiness and completion. It was a perfect moment for the both of us, surrounded by the love we shared for the other.

"You did not answer my question." I said a few minutes later, having pulled myself away from him enough to see in his eyes.

"Old Ms. Ateara," he replied after recollecting my asked question of who had told him that I was here to fight the leaders of the vampires.

"She told you?" I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I had not expected this.

He shrugged in return "It is a long story. I will tell you later."

I nodded my head "When did you phase?"

"This morning, or no wait, It was the next day morning after you left. I cannot be sure with the time difference." he said with a laugh.

I smiled back at him "What caused it?"

"It is the part of that same long story. I will tell it to you later. Now can we go back? I am very hungry." he gave me a pleading look, making me laugh.

"Okay, at least tell me how you found out where I was?"

He shrugged "When we landed in Florence we first went to the hotel you were staying in. Levi had spoken to Ellen Uley about it, and how the fight was postponed by a day. When we reached there and you were not there, we started tracing your scent and reached Volterra. Luckily we reached when the fight was still going on."

I nodded my head in understanding "Wait. Who is the other wolf?"

He gave me a 'isn't that obvious look' "Leah,"

My mouth lay open in shock "Leah phased?"

He shrugged. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise. I too was a female wolf.

"I had so not expected that." I whispered.

He nodded his head in agreement, pulling me as close to him as possible "You know what is going to happen ahead?"

"What?" I asked confused.

He made a hmm like sound "First we will go back to the hotel and eat something then maybe take a small nap, and then we will take the first flight out of here and go home, and then..." he paused, his eyes playful "I will never let you out of my sight again. We will lock ourselves in a house and just never leave. School, patrolling, our families and friends can all just forget us. It is just going to be you and me from now on."

"Never," I raised an eyebrow in question.

He nodded "Yeah, how does forever sound?"

I pretended to think about it for a few minutes before I blushed in reply "I think forever sounds just perfect."

He grinned at me "In that case, let's begin our forever."

A/N: Thank you for coming with me on this journey. The epilogue will be out shortly.


	46. Epilogue

Thank you to all those who read, reviewed, followed and favorite this story. Means a lot!

Here's the epilogue of this story. Hope you like it!

X-X-X

Farewell.

I had never been one for farewells, or goodbyes for that matter. There was nothing good about bidding bye to a person or place you had never imagined to say bye to. It was painful and tearful, but then again at times it was necessary. It was necessary to say bye to your past in order to move ahead and welcome your future. There was no going ahead, no progress in life without letting your heart and mind accept that change is inevitable. You have to move ahead to live life. You have to accept change to live life. Being stuck to a place, person or memory will cause more harm than good, and we all have to accept this in life. At times Farewell is inevitable.

Today was one such farewell. A goodbye I wished had never come, but it had, and it had come way too fast for my liking. I was going to be leaving my home, my family, my friends… everything today. Yes, it was temporary, but still it was happening. I wish this would not have happened, but in the path that I had chosen this had to happen someday…..

"What are you thinking about, beautiful?" strong arms wrapped themselves around me as a strong yet filled with love and adoration voice whispered in my ear. His fingers intertwined with mine and played with the wedding ring that adorned my left hand since the past four years. The ring though was nothing exceptional; it was a symbol of his everlasting love for me and so was extremely precious.

"Us," I whispered back "La Push…. Our families…. Leaving…."

With one quick move of his, I was now facing him and our eyes were interlocked with one another.

"Bella," he said softly "If you want we can still change this… we don't have to do this. We can wait for some more time."

I shook my head slowly "It has been fifteen years, Paul. We are not growing any older. I still look like I am in my early twenties and you look to be in your mid twenties. We still look exactly the same like we did more than a decade back. We don't look to be in our thirties, and people are soon going to get suspicious of that fact."

He scoffed "We can always claim to have good genes. I am telling you it will work, or I can always scare those who gossip with my size. That is sure to work."

I smiled at his attempt to cheer me up as he flexed his muscles for me. Ever since he had become the alpha wolf's mate he had not only become the biggest wolf in the pack, but even as a human he had become taller and much stronger than what he had been before his change, though I loved his strong broad shoulders so it was not like I had much to complain off.

"We knew this was going to happen, didn't we?" I asked a few minutes later, resting my head on his shoulder.

He ran a hand through my hair, sighing "Yeah, but I still don't like to see you upset."

"It is not permanent. We can always visit." I said trying to lighten the stressful mood we had found ourselves in. I wanted to have only good, happy memories of this day. I had already shed my share of tears a few days back when I had been packing or discarding the belongings that we would not be taking with us, seeing old photos of happier days had especially torn me apart.

He sighed, but nodded his head "Sam is going to be dropping us at the airport. I tried to convince him that we would call for a cab, but he insisted."

I nodded my head in return, knowing that Sam was still hoping that we would change our mind, though all of us involved knew that that was not a possibility. Fifteen years back, just after the fight with the Volturi, Paul and I had probably taken the biggest decision of our lives. We were both immortal till we continued to phase, and we wanted to take advantage of that fact. Immortality was never something I had wished or hoped for, but now that I had been gifted with it, I wanted to utilize it to the best. Paul had agreed with me and so we had decided to continue phasing till….forever, to be precise. We did not want to live without the other, and this had been one of those decisions that we had reached after a lot of discussion over. The only disadvantage of this decision had been the fact that my body was frozen in the state it was till I was phasing and so my body was as of now not capable of bearing children. For that we had planned that I would stop phasing for a few years whenever we were ready for it, and once we were done with creating our family, I would get back to phasing. With us both being shape shifters, the probability of our children too phasing was exceptionally high, and I was still in contact with Jasper if proximity to them would be required in order for our children to join our immortal world, if they chose to, but then again there were years to go before that decision of life came in front of us. For now it was just me and Paul in our small little world. Our families at first had believed that we would go on to change our decision, but it had been futile. Our minds were made on this and there was no going back.

"Come on," nudged Paul "Everyone is waiting inside for us to begin our farewell party."

I forced a smile over my face, pushing back all my gloomy thoughts to the back of my head. It was time to officially bid bye to all my near and dear ones. I had no idea when I would be seeing all of them again next.

Paul took my hand in his, softly rubbing over it, as we walked inside the house in Forks that though had once been mine, Sam and his family had lived here all their lives. We had already sold our house back in La Push to one of the locals who was about to have a child and needed the space, and so this was where our farewell party was going to be thrown. Sam and his wife had been generous enough to throw this party for us. Everyone we knew and had known for all this years was going to be here today. It was going to be a major throwback to the younger days. Nowadays as adults it was nearly impossible to find enough time to spend with one another outside of work and responsibilities. The reality of being an adult- Sigh!

It was strange to see the once youthful faces that I had seen in my younger days now with mild wrinkles beginning to form and slight graying of their hair. It was the harsh reality of life. Though we were continuing to stay young, our families and friends were getting older with each day that passed.

"Bella," Kim was the first one to approach me with a warm hug. Jared stood by her side with a small smile on his face. He and Paul had already done their version of a man hug.

"Hey," I whispered back, taking the appearance in of the person who had been my best friend for close to twenty six years of my life. We had seen and shared so much together, a major part of our lives to be honest. At one point of time she had known every secret of mine and likewise I had known every secret of hers. The years passed had been good to us. She was still one of my closest friends, and whenever we got the time to, we would still gossip like we were back in high school, laughing and giggling for hours together, though our friendship too had had its share of ups and downs. My fight with Jared had caused a little discomfort in our friendship in the beginning. It was natural and bound to. She wanted to support her boyfriend, and it was just unfortunate that I was standing on the other side. We had somehow managed to work around it in a way that our friendship stayed more or less the same, but another bigger problem had arose when I had found out from Paul that Kim had been the one to lie to him and cause him to believe that Jasper and I were dating. I knew her reasons, and even somewhat understood them. She was just looking out for me, but it had not made it any easier. It had taken us months to get back to where we had been in our friendship, though I still knew that Kim did not completely approve of Paul being in my life. We had just left it as a 'no go' zone. We never spoke of that period of our lives, or of Paul's past. That few months when we had hardly spoken to the other or had fought when we had were in the past, and would be staying there. After that though, we had experienced so much together. I had been the maid of honor in her wedding, with her returning the favor in mine. I was her children's godmother, and till date Kim Cameron knew almost every secret of mine. Whenever we could coordinate our schedules from her working as the English and Creative writing teacher in La Push High and with me being the legal secretary of the only lawyer's office in Forks, we would meet up at either of our houses- mine more than hers and drink wine and spend hours talking about anything and everything. I was going to miss her more than I could even think of.

"So, I am going to miss you," she said reading my mind. I could see the tears forming in her eyes, and my eyes too reciprocated to them.

I smiled looking at her, pushing back my own tears "You and Jared are going to be visiting us for Christmas, aren't you?"

She nodded her head, rolling her eyes a bit "Yeah, like JJ and Kara will let us back down at that. They are already excited for Christmas in New York. I heard Kara tell her best friend Elena the other day of what all she was going to see in New York. I tried telling her that Christmas were still months away, but you know her. She is so talkative and over excited over everything."

I laughed at that. Kara was the cutest little five year old that I knew of, and I truly adored the girl.

"So, are you all set for New York?" Jared asked Paul "It is going to be a world apart."

Paul just nodded his head in return, shrugging like it was no big deal. I had always known that Paul loved the big city life. He did not hate living in La Push in any way, but if given a chance he would chose that over this. Now that we had the chance to, we were going to be doing exactly that. The both of us knew that living as an immortal had its downs and changing residence often was one of those. We were starting with New York, but we had no idea where we would end up being. Well, Italy was also one of the options. Jasper and Riley, who were currently living with the new leaders of their kind- Carlisle Cullen and Eleazar Denali, had offered me and Paul an open invite to visit them in Volterra, Italy whenever we could. We would definitely not be staying in the castle with them, but it would be good to meet others who understood the life of an immortal like us, though of course Levi and Ellen who had moved to Portland a few years back could also be counted on for that. They, like us, were going to remain immortal till forever existed.

Paul and I spoke to Jared and Kim for a little while longer. Kim told us the story of how her eleven year old Jared Junior had fallen in love for the first time and believed that he was going to marry her, to which I had replied that she too had fallen in love when she was hardly five or six and had ended up marrying said crush, and so was not the best person to comment on. We had laughed and reminisced over the years gone by, and the years that were still to come, with her dreading the teenage years of her children, before I had been whisked off by my younger brother to where he had been sitting on the sofa in the living room of the house.

Embry, Quil and Jacob- the three musketeers as they had once fondly referred to themselves were still the thickest of friends. Time had hardly affected them at all. Neither of them had phased; a thing that had confused all of us, including the elders of the tribe. Paul and Leah had been the last to phase in our generation. Jake, Quil, Embry, Seth and many others remained untouched by the magic of phasing, though we did tell most of them years later of the truth of having the gene. It was for the best was what had been decided. They had not phased but their children could, and with them being of such prominent families in the tribe it was necessary for them to know. As expected Embry, Quil and Jacob had taken it better than expected, but they were still glad that they had not phased.

Embry, my loving younger brother, was laughing and talking to Quil as I sat beside him, joining into their mindless conversation. It was strange to see him, my younger brother, look older than me, but he often joked around saying that now that he looked older than me he could go around easily bossing over me pretending he was older, to which I would huff and say 'yeah, as if, I would let him boss over me.' He had been married and divorced within a year of getting married, and had no plans to marry again. He was happy with his single life was what he claimed. He argued that the married life was just not his cup of tea and being single suited him, though a mild meddler in the form of Alice Cullen had claimed that she had seen Embry meeting his future wife a little while from now. He would have to wait for the correct time though, was what she had said when I had spoken to her last. Even though Embry still lived in La Push, I knew that he wanted an out, and I had already spoken about this with Paul. Once we settled in New York we would offer him to move in with us, till he could afford a place of his own. He had always wanted to settle in one of the bigger cities, but with lack of opportunity and finances that day had never really come till now.

Jake and Quil were the same old goofballs that they had once been. Both were well settled in their lives. Jake was a mechanical engineer and had been married to his wife Vanessa with twin two year olds William and Jerome to speak of, and Quil had recently proposed to his girlfriend of years Claire and was successfully running his family business with her joining in with him. Claire was technically from the Makah reservation, but her parents had moved to La Push years back.

After spending a half hour or so laughing with the three of them over nothing in particular, I made my way to the kitchen where I knew the hostess of this lunch would be.

"Hey, you need any help?" I asked her from where she stood peeking into the slightly opened refrigerator. She shrugged from her place, balancing the cans of diet coke in one hand while she removed the salsa dip with the other hand. Her cooking skills were famous all over the reservation, and an invite to eat at her house was generally never unaccepted.

"So, I tried convincing your husband, Sam, that I was not a kid and could manage to reach the airport on my own, but he is still insisting on dropping us." I said with amusement clear on my face.

"You know how over protective he gets," she said with a laugh "I am still betting that he is hoping you will change your mind and come back with him."

I gave her a small sad laugh at that, speaking in a whispered tone "We will keep visiting."

She nodded her head at that, choosing not to say anything more. There was no need for more words to be spoken. I had known her for years now. We could very well hear the other person's silence.

"Leah," I spoke finally, making her look up at me from where she had been checking on the dessert. Her shoulder length black hair was falling onto her face as she pushed it behind her ear with the back of her hand. "Do you ever think of how life would have been if she had not backed down?"

The 'she' in the question did not have to be mentioned. It was a known fact that we were talking about Emily Young. Days after we had all returned from Italy, she had approached Sam, telling him that she no longer wanted to be tied to him. She was letting him go. Apparently seeing Paul and Leah phase had freaked her out to another extent and she did not want to be around such monsters in her life. Good riddance was what we all had said. Their imprint had been broken and Sam and Leah had been free to be together since. Jane, on the other hand, had moved out of state as soon as possible. Her family had obviously not believed her crazy story of humans changing into wolves, and overnight her bags had been packed and she had been shipped off to her uncle's house, somewhere in the south. We had never seen or heard from her since.

Leah slowly shook her head, determination clear on her face "No, I believe I would have kept fighting for him."

I smiled, nodding my head as a whisper left my mouth "I miss mom. She was the happiest when Sam was free to be with you."

She softly whispered "Me too. I wish she was here."

Allison Uley had lost the fight to breast cancer nearly four years back. Her last wish had been to see me get married. Paul and I had been engaged for years at that time, having decided that marriage would happen at its own time, but when she had called me and told me of her last wish, I had not been able to decline. A month later in a small ceremony Paul and I had been married. We had chosen to postpone our honeymoon and be with Allison in her last days. Tears still came to my eyes when I thought of my mother lying on her bed, surrounded by her children as she breathed her last.

Leah came and hugged me as she let me shed tears for the mother whose absence still pained me as much as it had years back. Some pain just never completely goes from your heart and mind, and losing my mother…. my best friend…. the one person who knew me better than myself was one such loss which never really lessened.

"Mom," said a voice, as our moment was broken with Sam and Leah's son Sebastian entering the kitchen. He was a complete clone of the younger Sam, and was as overprotective and caring as Sam had been at the age of thirteen. His younger two sisters were already replicating a bond with him the kind that I had shared with Sam and Embry in my growing up years. Leah had quit phasing soon after the fight, deciding that this was not something she wanted for long in her future. Her future included marriage, kids and a normal routine of work and looking after her family.

"Sarah is crying for you," he continued with a frown on his face. Sarah Isabella was the youngest daughter of Sam and Leah and had recently entered her troublesome twos. She also had the habit of crying for Leah like it was the world's end whenever she was not in sight.

"I will just be back." Leah gave me an apologetic glance as she left the kitchen to look after her daughter. I just shrugged back in return, giving my attention to the salad that was half prepared.

Lunch passed by quickly and without any mishaps. Paul and I managed our time talking to everyone and once again assuring them that we were not cutting ties from La Push. We would be coming back for holidays or for random visits, at least for a couple more years till we could pass by with looking the same as now. After that, I had no idea. Probably we would have to stay out of public eyes on our visits, only meeting the people who actually knew of the truth, but again, there was a long time to go before it came down to that.

Kim had even gone as far as suggesting that if we ever wanted to move back to La Push for good, we could use make up to look older or claim of getting Botox and multiple plastic surgery done. Well, that was one of the last options if it ever came down to that.

Soon it was time to go and after hugging and leaving multiple kisses on my nieces and nephew, promising that I would get them lots of gifts when I came to meet them next, Paul and I sat in Sam's Nissan as he drove to Seattle.

The ride to the airport was filled with Sam, the man who still hardly spoke, sharing stories of our childhood together, making me laugh and cry at the same time. It was a goodbye, I knew it. It was never going to be the same. We were never going to spend such time together in our lives again, the carefree years of childhood and adolescence had passed, never to return again. We had our lives. We had our own families to look after, but maybe, just maybe, we could steal a few more minutes to smile at the yesterday that had passed before we looked up to see tomorrow.

Sam hugged me tightly as I got out from the car on reaching the airport. A major chapter of my story had ended, making way for another to begin. It was not the end of the story though. A lot was yet to come. A new chapter, a new beginning was about to make its way. A new turn had come in my simple life, but this time around, I had my imprint, my husband, my Paul to walk this journey with me.


End file.
